[The indications and results of treatment of children with chronic juvenile arthritis in a specialised centre].

Thirty children were admitted to a specialised centre for rehabilitation for chronic juvenile arthritis. Ten of them stayed for one to three months usually during the school holidays to perfect the physiotherapy essential for the maintenance of a good functional state. Twenty were admitted for longer periods, because of more severe forms of the disease which could not be satisfactorily retrained at home. An overall functional improvement was obtained in the majority of cases; no child was in Steinbrocker's class III or IV on discharge from the centre. The most marked functional progress was observed during the first 6 or 12 months of rehabilitation. Conversely, the radiological lesions progressed in all joints. However, the hip has the potential for definite radiological recovery, seen in 3 out of 10 cases in this small series. The authors believe that, even in severe forms of chronic juvenile arthritis, the possibility of stabilisation does exist and that everything should be done to give these children the best chances of as good a functional improvement as possible.