[Evaluation of the effectiveness of long-term dispensary observation and treatment of patients with osteoarthrosis deformans].

During 1979-1984, 240 outpatients aged 30 to 65 years suffering from primary osteoarthrosis deformans with primary involvement of the knee joints were followed up. One of the dispensary groups consisted of 180 patients with osteoarthrosis deformans without synovitis, the other one of 60 patients with associated osteoarthrosis and synovitis. Prolonged follow up and repeated multiple modality treatment inhibited the progression of the pathological process, reduced the clinical and functional disease manifestations permitting the patients' work fitness to be preserved.