title: Elbow synovectomy in rheumatoid arthritis. Long-term results.
abstract: Fifty-seven elbows in 46 rheumatoid arthritis patients were followed from one to 20 years, with an average follow-up period of 86 months, and were treated with synovectomy and radial head resection. A silicone radial head prosthesis was inserted in 13 elbows. Surgery was performed through a lateral incision. Long-term follow-up study showed 77% of the elbows to fall in the excellent and improved categories. A trend toward better results was seen if the surgery was done at an earlier stage of the disease. The radial head prosthesis did not influence the results of synovectomy.
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001172:Arthritis, Rheumatoid / Q000601:surgery*; D004551:Elbow Joint / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000601:surgery*; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D007595:Joint Prosthesis; D008875:Middle Aged; D011859:Radiography; D011884:Radius / Q000601:surgery; D012826:Silicone Elastomers; D000074402:Synovectomy
chemical_list: D012826:Silicone Elastomers