[Synoviorthesis--an alternative to synovectomy?].

In the treatment of inflammatory rheumatic diseases with chronic course, operative and respectively arthroscopic synovectomy on the one hand and synoviorthesis on the other hand come into question. Synoviorthesis by corticosteroids has a very large indication if the corresponding measures of precaution are heeded. Chemical synoviorthesis, mainly by osmium tetroxide, is applied above all in exudative inflammatory diseases, whereas radiosynoviorthesis with the nuclides used at present is mainly applied in proliferative diseases; as a rule, synovectomy should be preferred in young patients. Likewise, synovectomy is the method of choice, respectively, in tenosynovitis and if reconstructive measures at the joint are necessary.