To determine the effectiveness of intrasynovial triamcinolone hexacetonide coupled with joint rest (3 weeks upper extremity; 6 weeks lower extremity) in the treatment of joint and tendon sheath inflammation in patients with seropositive rheumatoid arthritis (RA).
The medical records of 169 patients with seropositive RA treated by a single rheumatologist for at least one year between 1974 and 1992 were abstracted.
Nine hundred fifty-six injections were given to 140 patients; approximately 75% of injected synovial structures remained in remission during a mean followup 7 years; 218 injections were given into previously treated structures. The injection rate was about 2 per patient in the first year, half of which were given at the time of the first visit. The rate then approximated 0.6 injections per patient-year for the next 15 years. Joints in the right upper extremity were injected significantly (p = 0.01) more frequently than those on the left.
Intrasynovial triamcinolone hexacetonide followed by rest is a very useful adjunctive modality in the treatment of seropositive rheumatoid arthritis.