I was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2008. I also had a total hip replacement (left side) in the same year, for OA, secondary to AVN.
For the past year, I have had pain in my right hip. The pain comes and goes. X-rays were normal.
This month, when I saw my orthopedic surgeon for a 2 year follow up, the x-ray of my natural hip showed some changes. My surgeon glanced at the x-ray and said I was developing cysts on the ball of the femur. There is also a bone spur on the neck of the femur. According to my surgeon, these changes are early signs of arthritic changes in my hip. I am willing to believe that, but I do not understand how he can determine the cause of the changes in my hip by just glancing at the x-ray. What testing is normally done to differentiate between osteoarthritis and bone mets?