[The local x-ray therapy of patients with rheumatoid arthritis].

Long-term follow-up of 240 rheumatoid arthritis patients provided evidence for rather high efficacy of local antiinflammatory x-ray treatment: 63.7% and 37.8% of responses in 3 and 12 months, respectively. The author thinks x-ray therapy superior to local laser irradiation. More effects were reached in intraarticular injection of glucocorticoids (kenalog) prior to x-ray exposure. No side effects were registered.