title: Implant-related inflammatory arthritis.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  A 54-year-old woman presented with myalgia and arthralgia predominantly in the knees and small joints of the hands and feet with morning stiffness lasting for at least 2 h. The patient had received a wrought titanium 6-aluminium 4-vanadium alloy C cage implant 1.5 years previously, following a severe disc prolapse. No signs of rheumatic disease were evident before the C cage was implanted.
  
  
  METHODS
  Physical examination, radiography, skin and muscle biopsies, serology tests, white blood cell count, HLA genotyping, tumor necrosis factor release assay, skin patch test, lymphocyte transformation test.
  
  
  METHODS
  Implant-related inflammatory arthritis.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Combination therapy with corticosteroids, disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs and nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, and replacement of the titanium cage with a polyetherketone cage.
authors.affiliation: Coagulation Unit, Institute of Transfusion Medicine, Charité University Medicine, Berlin, Germany. thomas.doerner@charite.de
authors.forename: Thomas
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Dörner
authors.forename: Judith
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Haas
authors.forename: Christoph
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Loddenkemper
authors.forename: Volker
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: von Baehr
authors.forename: Abdulgabar
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Salama
mesh_terms: D018771:Arthralgia / Q000209:etiology*; D001168:Arthritis / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000209:etiology* / Q000473:pathology; D017586:Diskectomy / Q000009:adverse effects; D005260:Female; D006684:HLA-DR Antigens / Q000276:immunology; D059811:HLA-DRB1 Chains; D006801:Humans; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D008875:Middle Aged; D019736:Prostheses and Implants / Q000009:adverse effects*; D014025:Titanium; D017211:Treatment Failure
chemical_list: D006684:HLA-DR Antigens; D059811:HLA-DRB1 Chains; D014025:Titanium