Improvement of rheumatoid arthritis following splenectomy for Felty syndrome.

A patient with Felty syndrome underwent splenectomy because of persistent high fever, leg ulcer, and granulocytopenia. Subsequently, his rheumatoid synovitis went into prolonged remission. In addition, the leg ulcer healed; his WBC count, hemoglobin level, temperature, ESR, and weight returned to normal; the rheumatoid factor titer dropped substantially; and the antinuclear antibodies disappeared. These changes have persisted to the present time, more than 5 1/2 years after surgery.