Silicone Synovitis Remains a Consequence of Older Arthritis Surgeries

Sunday January 25, 2009

Silicone was common in small and medium joint prostheses that were implanted in joints damaged by arthritis from the 1960s to the 1980s. There are still arthritis patients who have silicone prostheses in place. The problem -- synovitis can be a consequence of silicone arthroplasty.

In a small study reported in the January 2009 issue of the Journal of Clinical Rheumatology, researchers looked at the medical charts of 7 patients who had synovitis in the area of a silicone arthroplasty. Two of the patients had osteoarthritis, 1 had rheumatoid arthritis, 3 reportedly had trauma, and 1 was diagnosed with avascular necrosis. Joints that had been replaced included:

metatarsal phalangeal joints (feet)
carpal bones (wrist)
radial head (elbow)
first carpal metacarpals (thumb)

The time between surgical replacement and the onset of synovitis was between 9 and 30 years in these patients -- indicative of a complication that can show up years later. Researchers concluded that patients who had surgery to manage silicone synovitis recovered, but patients who were treated without surgical intervention did not have complete resolution of the problem.

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