A case of rheumatoid arthritis, whose presenting problem was a non-infective fistula of the elbow joint, is described. Penicillamine therapy was ineffective, but synovectomy led to healing.

Synovial chondromatosis affecting the glenohumeral joint is rare. Treatment primarily consists of arthroscopic loose body removal and synovectomy. Shoulder arthroplasty has been mentioned in the literature as a treatment option for patients with coexisting arthritis, although the results have been underreported. The case of an 84-year-old man with long standing synovial chondromatosis of the sh...

Excision of the diseased synovial membrane from the knee in rheumatoid arthritis was first established as a valuable procedure by Swett in 1923. Eleven of the twelve knees which he described showed a good result when reviewed up to two years later, and he stressed the importance of limiting the operation to patients with no joint destruction. Boon-Itt (1930) reported improvement in two-thirds o...

Surgical synovectomy to remove the inflammatory synovium can temporarily ameliorate rheumatoid inflammation and delay the progress of joint destruction. An efficient medically induced programmed cell death (apoptosis) in the rheumatoid synovium might play a role similar to synovectomy but without surgical tissue damage. Gene transfer of Fas ligand (FasL) has increased the frequency of apoptotic...

OBJECTIVE To investigate and compare the effects of radiation synovectomy of various joints in a rheumatological practice. METHODS Consecutive patients referredfor radiation synovectomy to Medical Center Alkmaarfrom 1993 till 1996 were analyzed (n = 138). Patients had to have persistent arthritis despite at least two intra-articular glucocorticoid injections with 20 mg triamcinolone hexaceton...