[Amyloid arthropathy of the hand in patients on chronic hemodialysis].

Among 70 patients treated by hemodialysis for renal failure and operated for carpal tunnel syndromes, 17 presented with bone and joint lesions. Seven of them had destructive arthropathies of the distal interphalangeal joint, bilateral in 6 cases. Two radiological stages are described. Radiolucent lesions of the carpal bones were present in all the patients ("carpal amyloidosis"). The most frequent sites were around the radius-scaphoid-lunate and scaphoid-lunate joint spaces. Scaphoid-trapezoid-trapezium arthropathy was frequent with dynamic instability in one case. One patient had a pathological fracture of the lunate and scaphoid. Carpal tunnel syndrome was associated in all cases and dorsal wrist tenosynovitis in three cases. Amyloid arthropathy is more frequent in old patients on long-term hemodialysis. Amyloid deposits were shown in tendinous and joint synovial biopsy. The pathogenesis of amyloidosis is discussed.