BACKGROUND: There are many criteria used to evaluate the curative effects of hip-preserving treatment for osteonecrosis of the femoral head (ONFH), and there have been no consistent criteria, so the curative effects of hip-preserving treatment lack comparability to some extent. OBJECTIVE: To review and analyze a variety of criteria for evaluating the curative effects of hip-preserving treatment and to develop a specific quality of life scale of hip-preserving treatment. METHODS: A computer-based retrieval of Pubmed database using key words "osteonecrosis, femoral head, quality of life", or "osteonecrosis, femoral head, curative effect" for manuscripts published from August 2000 to August 2010 and of CNKI database for manuscripts published from January 1994 to December 2009 using key words "femoral head necrosis, curative effect" or "femoral head necrosis, quality of life". Manuscripts that address hip-preserving treatment of ONFH and related quality of life or manuscripts that were recently published or in the high-impact journals were included in this paper. Finally, 31 manuscripts were reviewed.RESULTS AND CONCLUSION: The current criteria for evaluating the curative effects of hip-preserving treatment focus on pain, function, and range of motion of hip joints, but do not lay emphasis on the local changes of hip joints or lower limbs, which can not sufficiently reflect the overall quality of life of patients. The SF-36 scale lack specificity to some extents and cannot be used to evaluate the curative effects of hip-preserving treatment systemically and specifically. Therefore, it is necessary to develop a specific quality of life scale for evaluating the curative effects of hip-preserving treatment of ONFH.