title: Treatment of refractory chronic Lyme arthritis with arthroscopic synovectomy.
abstract: Of 20 patients who underwent arthroscopic synovectomy for refractory chronic Lyme arthritis of the knee, 16 (80%) had resolution of joint inflammation during the first month after surgery or soon thereafter, and they have remained well during the 3-8-year followup period. Three of these 16 patients who were more disabled preoperatively, still had mild functional limitation at long-term followup. The remaining 4 patients (20%) had persistent or recurrent synovitis. We conclude that arthroscopic synovectomy is effective in treating chronic Lyme arthritis in patients in whom the disease does not respond to antibiotic therapy.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut 06510.
authors.forename: R T
authors.initials: RT
authors.lastname: Schoen
authors.forename: J M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Aversa
authors.forename: D W
authors.initials: DW
authors.lastname: Rahn
authors.forename: A C
authors.initials: AC
authors.lastname: Steere
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001170:Arthritis, Infectious / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000601:surgery*; D001182:Arthroscopy / Q000379:methods; D002648:Child; D002908:Chronic Disease; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D007719:Knee Joint / Q000601:surgery*; D008193:Lyme Disease / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D000074402:Synovectomy; D013583:Synovial Membrane / Q000473:pathology