Anterior arthroscopic synovectomy plus capsuloplasty with a pedicle graft for the treatment of rheumatoid popliteal cysts.

OBJECTIVE

To assess the value of arthroscopic synovectomy plus capsuloplasty with a pedicle graft in patients with rheumatoid cysts of the knee.

METHODS

We examined 31 rheumatoid knees in 9 men and 22 women with an average age of 52.5 years at time of operation. Postoperative clinical symptoms were investigated in comparison with each factor examined before the operation.

RESULTS

Postoperative results showed that 74% of the patients were grade 0 (no swelling or pain), 23% were grade 1 (swelling and slight discomfort after strenuous work or sports), and 3% were grade 2 (swelling and tenderness after normal activities). The improvement rate of the patients with arthroscopic synovectomy plus pedicle graft capsuloplasty was significantly higher than that of the untreated controls or patients with arthroscopic synovectomy or pedicle graft capsuloplasty. The preoperative degree of joint effusion, acceleration in the erythrocyte sedimentation rate, radiographic grades, and histological activity in the knee joint at the time of operation were correlated with the final clinical symptoms.

CONCLUSION

Our method may be useful for preventing recurrence of rheumatoid popliteal cysts.