Osteoarthritis Research Today is a free monthly online journal that collates and summarizes the latest research about Osteoarthritis, including details on treatment, symptoms, causes, medication. | ||||||||
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Clinical efficacy of radiation synovectomy in digital joint osteoarthritis.Kampen WU, Hellweg L, Massoudi-Nickel S, Czech N, Brenner W, Henze E Clinic of Nuclear Medicine, University Hospital Schleswig-Holstein, Campus Kiel, Arnold-Heller-Strasse 9, 24105, Kiel, Germany. ukampen@nuc-med.uni-kiel.de PURPOSE: Radiation synovectomy was developed for local treatment of rheumatoid arthritis. In this study, the long-term efficacy of radiation synovectomy was retrospectively evaluated in patients with osteoarthritis (activated arthrosis) of the digital joints using an algofunctional score. METHODS: Fifty-three digital joints in 29 patients (mean age 64.8 years) were treated by intra-articular injection of 169Er citrate. All joints were painful despite pharmacotherapy and showed an elevated blood pool pattern in a pretherapeutic three-phase bone scan, indicative for local synovitis. The patients were asked to classify their complaints with respect to different daily manual activities on a ten-step pain scale from 1 (total disability) to 10 (lack of any impairment) prior to and after treatment, with a mean follow-up of 41 months. Local signs of osteoarthritis such as joint swelling or pain were additionally evaluated and were scored from progression of complaints to excellent improvement based on patient self-evaluation. RESULTS: All patients reported a pronounced improvement in their manual activities. The mean total score of 4.73+/-0.58 for all activities prior to treatment increased significantly to 6.79+/-0.47 after radiation synovectomy (p<0.05). The best results were obtained in the thumb base joints, whereas distal interphalangeal joints were frequently resistant to therapy. CONCLUSION: Radiation synovectomy is highly effective in digital joint osteoarthritis with concomitant local synovitis. Published 5 May 2005 in Eur J Nucl Med Mol Imaging, 32(5): 575-80.
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