Transient Osteoporosis of the Hip During Pregnancy

Transient Osteoporosis is a well organised form ofregional osteoporosis, though rare. It affects the activitiesof daily living by its extended course of the disease anddisproportionate pain of the affected joint, even though itresolves spontaneously with a benign course. If notrecognised, the presentation can be alarming both clinicallyand radiologically1. Curtis and Kincaid2 introduced theterm “transient demineralisation of the hip” referring to arapidly developing, painful local osteoporosis of limitednature but of unexplained patho-physiology. Later on,Lequesne3 coined the term, transient osteoporosis of thehip in 1968.Transient osteoporosis can occur at any age, and in eithersex, but most commonly occurs in women during the thirdtrimester of pregnancy and in middle-aged men1. Hip isthe most commonly affected joint, though migratorypattern may affect the contra-lateral hip joint or the ankleand foot joints. Higher incidence of transient osteoporosishas been reported in patients with osteogenesis imperfect.Here, we report a case of transient osteoporosis affectingthe hip joint during the third trimester of pregnancy.