Abstract
Case report: A patient presented with severe treatment resistant PVNS of the right knee joint. Several conventional treatment regimens, including open surgical synovectomy and intra-articular injections of yttrium-90 (90Y) failed to control the disease. After finding marked tumour necrosis factor α (TNFα) expression in arthroscopic synovial tissue samples, treatment with an anti-TNFα monoclonal antibody (infliximab) at a dose of 5 mg/kg was started. Additional courses with the same dose given 2, 6, 14, and 20 weeks later, and bimonthly thereafter up to 54 weeks, controlled the signs and symptoms. Immunohistological analysis at follow up identified a marked reduction in macrophage numbers and TNFα expression in the synovium.
Discussion: This is probably the first case which describes treatment with TNFα blockade of PVNS in a patient who is refractory to conventional treatment. It provides the rationale for larger controlled studies to elucidate further the efficacy of TNFα blockade treatment in refractory PVNS.
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