[The effect of intra-articular treatment with corticosteroids, polyvinylpyrrolidone and dimethyl sulfoxide on the composition of the synovial fluid in patients with rheumatoid arthritis].

Synovial fluid (SF) contained by the knee joint from 102 patients (80 with rheumatoid arthritis, 12 with osteoarthrosis, 10 with posttraumatic arthritis) and controls was studied for cytosis, activity of acid phosphatase, N-acetyl-beta-D-glucosaminidase, and cAMP and cGMP content. In 18% of the cases, the local corticosteroid treatment of patients with RA produced no beneficial effect. To treat RA and OA patients, dimethylsulfoxide (DMSO, 5 ml of 20% solution) and polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP, 5 ml of 15% solution) were administered intra-articularly.