Reply to'Can femoral head necrosis induced by steroid therapy in patients infected with coronaviruses be reversed?'

摘要

The authors reply:We deeply appreciated your interest in our research.In our study,the conclusion that femoral head necrosis induced by large doses of steroid pulse therapy in SARS patients was partially reversible was based on the results of the volume of femoral head necrosis on MRI combined with the ARCO stage.The volume of osteonecrosis decreased significantly from 2003(38.83%±21.01%)to 2005(30.38%±20.23%)(P=0.0002),then declined slowly from 2005 to 2013(28.99%±20.59%)and plateaued in 2018(25.52%±15.51%).The ARCO stages of 17 limbs in ten patients stabilized or improved during follow-up,while the stages of six limbs in four patients reflected deterioration.