20 years of rheumatoid hand surgery: what did I learn?

Rheumatoid arthritis is one common form of inflammatory arthritis that affects about 1% of the population. Few conditions in hand surgery have undergone such fundamental changes within the last two decades as rheumatoid arthritis has with regard to clinical presentations and treatments. This article provides a personal practice-guided review of the author's decision making and treatment for patients with rheumatoid arthritis in the past two decades.