We report an unusual case of pathologically proved femoral head Brodie's abscess mimicking avascular necrosis of bone in a 51-year-old woman with a 2-year history of corticosteroid treatment for systemic lupus erythematosus. On plain radiographs, a rounded lucency and thin sclerotic margins together with subchondral collapse and a lytic region were observed in the femoral head. The histopathologic examination revealed a central abscess formation surrounded by fibrous tissue with the aggregation of neutrophils and plasma cells. To our knowledge, this is the first case report describing a Brodie's abscess which had developed within the proximal femoral epiphysis in an adult.