The neo-synovial membrane of patients with active rheumatoid arthritis at resynovectomy

Summary Neo-synovial membranes, which formed after primary synovectomy in 21 patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA), were studied at resynovectomy. The clinical, histomorphological, and immunohistological data were compared with data derived from primary synovial membranes from RA and osteoarthritis (OA) patients. The clinical data suggest a less active rheumatoid inflammatory response after synovectomy. Histomorphologicaly, the synovitis in resynovectomized neosynovial membranes of RA revealed no qualitative differences when compared with synovitis in the primary synovium. However, the degree of the inflammatory rection evaluated by the different parameters was found to be distinctly lower. The immunohistological data correlated with these findings.