Treatment and Therapy for Arthrities

Surgical Treatment

For more than 30 years, doctors have been performing an operation called synovectomy to remove inflamed tissue from joints of rheumatoid arthritis patients. Drawbacks of the procedure were that diseased tissues could be left behind and the tissue frequently grew back after the operation. Also, the period of recovery was long and involved a lengthy period of physical therapy.

Now, with the aid of a recently developed device called an arthroscope, the performance of synovectomy is easier and more effective. The arthroscope is an optical instrument about the size of a pencil. The arthroscopist looks into a joint through the device, locates diseased tissues, assesses damage, and inserts another instrument through the tube to extract the diseased tissue and eroded cartilage. With this device, arthroscopists can remove synovial membranes from areas behind the knee that are usually inaccessible during routine arthrotomies. Arthroscopy is a shorter procedure with less bleeding than arthrotomy. Each incision is closed with just one stitch, and there is less potential for complications. It appears that many arthritis sufferers in the future may benefit from this new technique.

Radiation Therapy

Radiation therapy has worked for a very few patients in experimental situations. Researchers theorize that radiation kills some blood cells and thus reduces the lymphocyte activity that leads to inflammation. In a recent study at Stanford University, of 11 persons with rheumatoid arthritis in whom conventional treatments did not produce relief, nine experienced sign response to radiation therapy.

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Treatment and Therapy for Arthrities

Surgical Treatment

Radiation Therapy