Elbow synovectomy in rheumatoid arthritis. Long-term results.

Fifty-seven elbows in 46 rheumatoid arthritis patients were followed from one to 20 years, with an average follow-up period of 86 months, and were treated with synovectomy and radial head resection. A silicone radial head prosthesis was inserted in 13 elbows. Surgery was performed through a lateral incision. Long-term follow-up study showed 77% of the elbows to fall in the excellent and improved categories. A trend toward better results was seen if the surgery was done at an earlier stage of the disease. The radial head prosthesis did not influence the results of synovectomy.