Treatment of persistent knee effusions with intra-articular radioactive gold.
Patients with a total of 112 chronic knee effusions unresponsive to the usual conservative methods of therapy were treated with intra-articular injections of radioactive gold and followed from 6 months to 5 years. Most patients in the study had rheumatoid arthritis but others had ankylosing spondylitis, psoriatic arthritis, intermittent hydrathrosis and undiagnosed synovitis. After 6 months 81% showed improvement. This figure diminished to approximately 70% at 1 and 2 years, 60% at 3 and 4 years and 50% at 5 years. The mose beneficial results were seen in patients with intermittent hydrarthrosis. Twelve patients with a synovial cyst and/or rupture improved. Patients with thin synovia and anatomic stage I or II disease did best, but those with stage III disease also did well. After the injection 33% of the patients had a reactive synovitis. A variable amount of radioactive material escaped from the knee to the regional lymph nodes and general circulation.
D000367:Age Factors; D001172:Arthritis, Rheumatoid / Q000188:drug therapy; D004341:Drug Evaluation; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006048:Gold Colloid, Radioactive / Q000008:administration & dosage* / Q000627:therapeutic use; D006801:Humans; D007270:Injections, Intra-Articular; D007592:Joint Diseases / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000473:pathology; D007719:Knee Joint; D008297:Male; D013167:Spondylitis, Ankylosing / Q000188:drug therapy; D013585:Synovitis / Q000188:drug therapy; D013997:Time Factors
D006048:Gold Colloid, Radioactive