Læknablaðið : fylgirit - 01.05.1978, Blaðsíða 83

Amersham, England) were injected into the joints, except in 8 patients who were given 90Y silicate, since the resin colloid was no longer available because of manufacturing problems. To prevent leakage of radioactivity (15) the patients were provided with an individually shaped splint, and immobilised in strict bed rest during the first 3 days after the injection. So applied, the isotope remained localised to the joint. No leakage other than that indicated by a minimal uptake recorded over the lymph nodes and the liver could be detected by whole-body scanning and scintigraphy performed at 3 days and at 1 week after the injection. In urine samples collected over the first 3 days an activity esti- mated at 1% of the injected activity could be measured. R esults : Clinical results were graded as excellent, good, unchanged. In patients vfho had resolution of all symptoms referable to the knee the result were considered to be excellent. In those who had a significant change in the measurement of knee circumference, a decrease in the amount of or no effusion, increased range of movement, and a considerable subjective decrease of pain the results were graded as good. If no changes in knee circumference, effusion, range of move- ment, and pain were found, the result was defined as unchanged. When the joint status changed from one check-up to the next the grading was done again and the patient was moved to the relevant group. Figure 1 shows the clinical
TABLE I. Clinical details in 33 patients (25 with bilateral involvement).
No of patients 33
Sex 14 M 19 F
Mean age (yr) 56 (range 36-76)
Mean duration of disease (yr) 10 (range 2-31)
Duration of disease in affected knee 4 (range 1-17)
Diagnosis: No. of patients
RA seropositive 18
Seronegative polyarthritis 5
RA + pelvospondylitis 3
Psoriatic arthropathy 7
Intra-articular injections: No. of injections per year
Methylpr ednis olone - acetate 5 (range 3-12)
Nitrogen mustard No. of patients 6
Radioactive phosphorus 2
Streptokinase 2
Osmic acid 8
81