The use of bisphosphonates in the treatment of avascular necrosis of the femoral head is an encouraging but relatively new option with most published data being derived from small trials with limited follow-up. We present a clinicoradiological analysis of 395 hips with avascular necrosis which were treated with oral alendronate for three years with a mean follow-up of four years (1 to 8).

Our results show an improvement in the clinical function, a reduction in the rate of collapse and a decrease in the requirement for total hip replacement, compared with the findings of other studies in which no treatment was given. This improvement is particularly marked if the treatment is begun in the pre-collapse stages of the disease. Even in Ficat stage-III hips some benefit was obtained from treatment with alendronate by at least a delay in the need for total hip replacement.

Aims: To determine the difference between macroscopic and microscopic appearances of the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) in patients with osteoarthritis undergoing total knee replacement.

Methods: Patients admitted for routine total knee replacement (TKR) for osteoarthritis were assessed. The integrity of the ACL was noted as normal, moderately damaged (fissured) or complete rupture on a macroscopic level at the time of surgery. The ACL was sacrificed as a normal step in the operation and sent for histological analysis. The macroscopic and microscopic findings of ACL histology were compared using a common grading system (Grade 1 = normal, Grade 2 = moderately diseased, Grade 3 = severely diseased).

Results: The sample contained 48 patients, 17 male and 31 female, age range 55–87 years (mean 73). After exclusions, at surgery 7 ACL ruptures and 8 moderately diseased ligaments (defined by the presence of visible fissuring) were found despite negative pivot shift tests preoperatively. Of the 30 ACL’s that were found to be macroscopically normal, 22 of these (73%) were microscopically moderately or severely diseased.

Conclusion: We have found that a macroscopically normal ACL does not necessarily equate to microscopic integrity in the presence of osteoarthritis. This is an important consideration given the current trend towards unicompartmental knee replacement and highlights the possible need for investigation with appropriate imaging (MRI) and arthroscopy prior to this specific surgery.