Preface

This book was born of another initiative of the publisher InTechOpen, one of the pioneers in the movement for free access to knowledge, called Open Access. Through its extensive net‐ work of contacts with researchers from several areas, the publisher invites authors to send chapters related to the chosen theme. After a thorough review, the best chapters are selected to compose the work, thus ensuring the quality of its content.

The etiology of osteonecrosis is still not fully understood, but one of the most respected the‐ ories is bone ischemia, leading to pain and deformity of the metaphyseal bone, causing joint deformity and incongruity. This often evolves into chronic pain and osteoarthritis. Many pa‐ tients end up undergoing surgical treatments, such as knee and hip arthroplasties. However, other bones, such as the jaw and spinal vertebrae, received little attention in the past. The purpose of this book is to present updates on the treatment of osteonecrosis, and the reader will find in this book very interesting chapters on topics little discussed in the field of osteo‐ necrosis.

> **Alessandro R Zorzi, MD, MSc, PhD** Department of Orthopedic Surgery University of Campinas, Brazil

**Orthopedic Surgery and Rheumatology**
