Total knee arthroplasty in juvenile arthritis

Sixteen patients with 29 knee arthroplasties due to juvenile arthritis were studied. Eight patients had been wheelchair-bound and were nonambulatory due to hip and knee involvement. Surgery was indicated for correction of deformity, decreased range of motion, and relief of pain. The average preoperative disability score was 40.3, and postoperative score was 79.9. Thirteen of the 16 patients also required bilateral hip replacement arthroplasty. The average hospital stay for bilateral knee arthroplasty under one anesthesia was 45.3 days. The average followup was 36 months with a range of 24 months to 7 years. The overall results were excellent in 13 knees, good in 11, fair in 3, and poor in 2. Ambulation improved in all but 2 of the knees. Of the 2 failures, 1 was due to deep infection and the other to severity of disease and poor cooperation of the patient, who remains wheelchair-bound.     

Role of early synovectomy of the knee joint in rheumatoid arthritis

The prospective study of 32 knees in 26 patients with rheumatoid arthritis was carried out with an average followup of 3 years. Relief of pain and control of inflammation locally were obtained in 22 of 32 knees (69%). Articular cartilage was preserved in 20 of 28 knees (71%) and the synovitis recurred in 9 knees (28%), 7 of which showed progressive loss of cartilage. Therefore, it appears that synovectomy, if performed at a stage in which articular cartilage is still normal and after medical therapy has failed, is a very effective method for preserving articular cartilage and controlling inflammation locally. However, with a longer followup the disease with loss of articular cartilage will recur in a large number of cases. In patients whose disease progresses rapidly, no form of therapy effectively controls joint destruction.