Surgical treatment of osteonecrosis of the femoral head.

Until the cause of femoral head osteonecrosis is understood and preventive treatment devised, surgery is the best treatment available. Early recognition and surgical treatment in the beginning stages offers the best hope for salvaging the diseased femoral head. Osteotomy, allograft, and autograft techniques may prove to be successful salvage procedures in advanced stages (III and IV). Failure of the salvage procedures requires artificial replacement surgery, which is less than ideal.