What Researchers Did
Researchers evaluated the outcomes of a cocktail therapy regimen, consisting of extracorporeal shockwave therapy, hyperbaric oxygen therapy, and oral alendronate, in four SARS patients with hip necrosis over a four-year follow-up period.
What They Found
At the four-year follow-up, all four patients showed significant improvements in pain and Harris hip scores (p < 0.001), with none requiring surgical intervention. All patients, who had a mean age of 26 years, returned to work, and MRI showed a trend of reduced bone marrow edema and lesion size.
What This Means for Canadian Patients
This cocktail therapy, combining ESWT, HBO, and alendronate, could offer a non-surgical option for Canadian patients experiencing hip necrosis due to SARS. It may help alleviate pain and improve hip function, potentially delaying or preventing the need for hip replacement surgery.
Canadian Relevance
This study has no direct Canadian connection as it was conducted in a different geographical context and did not involve Canadian researchers or patients.
Study Limitations
A significant limitation of this study is its very small sample size of only four patients, which limits the generalizability of the findings.