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SYNOVECTOMY AS A PROPHYLACTIC MEASURE IN RECURRENT HAEMOPHILIC HAEMARTHROSIS Follow‐up of 23 Cases
Author(s) -
SNEPPEN O.,
BECK H.,
HOLSTEEN V.
Publication year - 1978
Publication title -
acta pædiatrica
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.772
H-Index - 115
eISSN - 1651-2227
pISSN - 0803-5253
DOI - 10.1111/j.1651-2227.1978.tb16359.x
Subject(s) - medicine , synovectomy , surgery , haemophilia , arthropathy , hemarthrosis , range of motion , conservative management , conservative treatment , osteoarthritis , rheumatoid arthritis , alternative medicine , pathology
. Because of frequently recurring haemarthrosis which could not be controlled by conservative management 19 haemophiliacs were subjected to synovectomy on a total of 23 joints—17 knees, S elbows, and 1 hip. The patients were followed for an average of 23 months. Primary postoperative complications occurred, in the form of recurrent bleeding, in 8 joints. Rehabilitation was often difficult and long‐lasting, and the range of joint motion was essentially restricted in 4 cases. After a follow‐up period exceeding 6 months the findings in the remaining, mobile 19 synovectomized joints were: 12 had been relieved of haemorrhage, 5 had rare and two frequent haemorrhages. The reduction in the number of haemorrhages was significant (p<0.01). In the light of the complicated postoperative course it is concluded that synovectomy should be used only on strict indications, viz. only in otherwise intractable cases of progressing haemophilic arthropathy.