Avascular necrosis of the femoral head in long-term follow-up of systemic sclerosis: report of two cases.

A long-term follow-up of two patients with scleroderma (SS) who developed a polyarthritis with bilateral femoral head osteonecrosis is reported. The severe parallel evolution of the small and large joint lesions and the late appearance of osteonecrotic changes in our patients suggest that avascular osteonecrosis is related to the osteoarticular progression of the longstanding SS.