[Long-term follow-up results of synovectomy for rheumatoid knee].

Objective: To continuously observe the long-term effects of synovectomy for improving joint damage and quality-of-life in patients with the rheumatoid knee.

Methods: Twenty-one consecutive patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) involving 24 knees underwent open synovectomy from November 1988 to January 1997 between November 1988 and January 1997. The changes in radiographic damage were assessed with Larsen score on plain films before and 6 months after surgery with subsequent annual assessment for 8 years, and the functional recovery of the patients was also evaluated with Health Assessment Questionnaire (HAQ) at the same time.