Osteonecrosis, also known avascular necrosis, is a pathologic
process with compromise of the bone vasculature,
leading to the death of bone and marrow cells.
Use of biphosphonates, particularly in patients with
malignant diseases is an important risk factor for development
of this event. It is also a complication of radiotherapy
due to vascular obliteration with associated tissue
hypoxia.
We report three cases, two of them with breast and prostate
carcinoma and with intravenous biphosphonate therapy
for bone metastasis, and the third one in a patient
with cavum malignancy and radiotherapic treatment.
All of them underwent surgical debridement of necrotic
bone, but none of them achieved healing of the lesions.