Surgical treatment of the elbow joint in rheumaid arthritis, with particular attention to resection arthroplasty

Elbow involvement in rheumatoid arthritis begins at a later stage in the development of the disease and proceeds slowly. Depending upon the degree of intensity and the involvement of neighboring joints (shoulder, wrist, hand), pathological changes in the elbow may be the cause of serious limitations in the performance of basic daily life activities. This article presents methods of surgical treatment of the elbow joint in rheumatoid arthritis. Synovectomy and debridement, which given the proper indications are performed with simultaneous resection of the radial head, can significantly reduce pain and improve joint function. In cases where considerably reduced range of motion or ankylosis is preventing the performance of daily life activities, one of the surgical treatment methods in use is resection arthroplasty using the Hass-Vainio technique. The author presents his whom (42 elbows) were followed up post-operatively over a period of 3-30 years (mean 18 years). The favourable outcome obtained in a large majority of these cases indicates that resection arthroplasty is still a valuable method for the surgical treatment of rheumatoid arthritis, despite progress in prosthesis replacement.