Joint Preservation

AVN Core Decompression Surgery in Bangalore

In avascular necrosis the blood supply to the femoral head is interrupted and the bone begins to die. Caught before the head collapses, the hip can often be saved. Core decompression relieves the raised pressure inside the bone and creates a channel for new blood vessels to grow, and concentrated bone marrow taken from your own pelvis can be delivered into that same channel to support healing. It is joint-preserving surgery: the aim is to keep your own hip rather than replace it.

Book a Consultation How robotic surgery works

Symptoms to watch for

Deep groin pain, usually worse on weight-bearing
Hip pain that came on without any clear injury
Stiffness and a reducing range of movement in the hip
A history of steroid use, alcohol excess, sickle cell disease or hip injury

When treatment is considered

AVN confirmed on MRI, ideally before the femoral head has collapsed
Early-stage disease where the joint surface is still intact
Pain that has not settled with rest, medication or reduced loading
A patient young enough that preserving the natural hip is worth attempting

The Approach

A careful, minimally invasive approach

Modern techniques that treat the problem while protecting the healthy tissue around it.

Staging the disease on MRI

MRI shows how much bone is affected and, critically, whether the femoral head has begun to collapse. That stage decides whether preservation is realistic or whether replacement is the better answer.

Core decompression

Under X-ray guidance a channel is drilled through the femoral neck into the affected area. This relieves the raised pressure within the bone and opens a path for new blood vessels to grow in.

Bone marrow concentrate

Marrow is drawn from your own pelvis during the same operation, concentrated, and delivered into the decompressed area to support bone healing. Results are best in pre-collapse disease, and Dr. Yogish will tell you honestly where your hip sits.

Recovery Timeline

A recovery you can follow, step by step

Recovery is guided and gradual, with clear milestones and physiotherapy support at every stage. Your exact timeline is tailored to you.

Guided by structured physiotherapy

01
Day 0-1
Day-care or short stay, mobilising with crutches
02
Week 0-6
Protected weight-bearing to reduce load on the healing femoral head
03
Weeks 6-12
Progressive loading and physiotherapy as review imaging allows
04
6-12 months
Repeat imaging tracks whether the bone has recovered

Conditions treated

Avascular necrosis of the femoral headOsteonecrosis after steroid therapyPost-traumatic AVN of the hipEarly-stage hip osteonecrosisBone marrow oedema of the hip

Questions & Answers

AVN of the Hip: Core Decompression: your questions

It can, when the disease is caught before the femoral head collapses. Once the head has flattened, decompression is much less likely to help and a hip replacement usually gives the better result.

They are your own. Marrow is aspirated from your pelvis during the same operation and concentrated before it is delivered into the decompressed bone. Nothing is taken from a donor.

Weight is kept off the hip in the early weeks so the healing bone is not loaded. The exact period is set by your surgeon from your imaging and how you progress.

If the femoral head goes on to collapse, a robotic hip replacement remains available, and it is not made more difficult by having tried to preserve the joint first.