ASEPTIC NECROSIS OF BONE SECONDARY TO OCCUPATIONAL EXPOSURE TO COMPRESSED AIR:ROENTGENOLOGIC FINDINGS IN 59 CASES

Aseptic necrosis of bone is not an uncommon disease among workers employed under hyperbaric conditions. Our limited experience with a relatively small number of compressed-air workers has yielded a high incidence of positive roentgenographic findings. Seventy-one per cent of these lesions are juxta-articular and potentially disabling. Asymptomatic individuals may also harbor multiple bone lesions which may eventually be a source of crippling joint disease. Routine roentgenographic examinations of compressed-air workers are advocated both on a pre-employment basis and on a regular annual basis in an attempt to prevent aseptic necrosis and its sequelae.

It is imperative that radiologists be trained to recognize the early lesions of aseptic necrosis in the shoulder and hip. Because of the anticipated increased use of compressed air in construction projects, civil engineers and contractors will be calling upon radiologists to make these determinations with increasing frequency.

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