Rheumatoid arthritis Flashcards
What is rheumatoid arthritis
- Deformity of joint and periarticular tissue secondary to autoimmune disease causing synovitis.
- Charcaterized by
- pannus formation
- synovitis (hypertrophy of vili, edema of joint)
- T cell infiltration into synovium
- Cellular and humoral activity
- onset 35-65yo, F>M
- thought do be environmentla stimulus in genetically susceptible individual (having HLA-DR4 antigen + smoking/parvo/EBV,rubella viral infx)
What cytokines are active in RA and targets for DMARDs
IL-1,6, TNFalpha
What is the diagnostic criteria for RA
Score >6/10 in pt with joint synovitis and no clear other explanation
Socring based on
- Joint involvement (more pts for more/smaller jts)
- Serology (RF, ACPA)
- Acute phase reactants (ESR, CRP)
- Duration of symptoms (>6wks)
What is your management work-up for pt with RA
Hx
- symptoms progression
- joint involved, function
- previous Tx (medical, splints)
PE
- examine neck, all UE
- Joint: effusions, deformities, crepitus, stiffness, stability
- Skin: nodules
- tendon: AROM/PROM, rupture, triggering, subluxation
- Nerve: compression testing
- Cosmesis: deformity
- Objectiv etetsing: goniometer, grip and pinch strength
Investigation
- B/W: ESR/CRP, RF, ACPA
- synovial fluid: WBC 500-25 000
- Xray
What are findings on xray suggestive of RA
EARLY
- JOINT SPACE WIDENING (EFFUSION)
- osteopenia
LATE
- Joint space narrow (articular loss)
- Irregular cortical erosions (rat-bite)
- subluxation (ligamentous laxity)
How do you classify RA
- By mode of onset
- Systemic (fever, HSM, rash, no jt involved)
- Pauciarticular (usually knee)
- Polyarticular (synovitis of more than 4jts)
- By Nalebuff
- stage 1 - tenosynovitis/synovitis <6mths
- Tx: non surgical
- stage 2- tenosynovitis >6mths
- Tx: tenosynovectomy
- stage 3 - rheumatoid specific hand defority
- Tx: reconstructive sx
- stage 4- crippled hand
- Tx: salvage surgery
- stage 1 - tenosynovitis/synovitis <6mths
- By course of disease
- Remitting
- Male, acute asymmetric jt, no nodules, neg RF/ANA, no HLA marker, no bone/cartilage erosion
- Unremitting
- female >40, gradual symmetric jts, nodules, +R/ANA, + HLA, joint destruction
- Remitting
What are goals and principles of treatment for RA
GOALS
- Pain control
- Funciton improvement
- Control local disease
- Cosmesis
PRINCIPLES
- Non-operative Tx first - multidisciplinary
- Medical - DMARDs, steroid injection
- OT/PT - splints, hand therapy
- Optimize medically before surgery
- Optimize aenesthetic issues pre-op
- Operative Treatment
- Preventative (destruction/deformity
- synectomy/tenosynovectomy
- Corrective
- nerve decompression
- soft tissue recon
- tenosynovectomy
- synovectomy (preserve pulleys)
- tendon transfer
- Reconstructive/Salvage
- arthroplasty
- arthrodesis
- Preventative (destruction/deformity
- ORDER of operative treatments - Priorities -
- proximal >distal
- painful >painless
- flexor before extensor
- flexor recon before MCP arthroplasty>extensor recon
- reliable procedures - tenosynovectomy, wrist fusion, distal ulna rsx
What are perioperative considerations for RA pts
- Cervical instability (atlanto-axial subluxation)
- TMJ ankylosis
- cricoarytenoid arthristis
- Pulmonary fibrosis,s mall airway disease
- CV disease
- Steroids - wound healing, stress dosing (if >5mg/day)
- Infection & wound healing with DMARDS
What is your management of RA skin nodules
- nodulosis in areas of increased pressure (olecranon,extensors)
- negative prognostic indicator
- Tx if painful, infected, ulcarated - resection or steroid inj
What is your management of RA nerve injuries
- trasnsient paresthesia - due to vascular insufficiency, self resolving
- Polyneuritis - due to vasculitis, Tx steroids
- Compression neuropathy
- Median - CTS common. Tx synovectomy +CTR
- Ulnar - rare - due to ulnohumeral synovitis - Tx - synovectomy + cubital tunnel release
- Radial - rare - Tx - PIN decopmression
What is your management of RA EXTENSOR Tenosynovitis
TENOSYNOVITIS - EXTENSOR
- MECHANICAL OBSTRUCTION IN SHEATH =>TRIGGERING, AROM
- Tenosynovectomy at wrist if present for >6mths despite medical Tx
Extensor tenosynovectomy
- skin incision dorsal longitudinal
- watch DRSN, DSUN
- open extensor retinaculum b/w 3rd and 4th compartment in stairstep fashion w large radially- and ulnarly-based flaps
- resect all inflammed synovium, PIN at base of 4th
- if tenodn ruptured/frayed, tenodese to adjacent
- CLosure: pass radially based flap UNDer tendons and ulnarly based flap OVER tendons to improve glinding. Can capture ECU to prevent volar subluxation
- Post- op- splint in neutral, mobilize in 2days
What is your management of RA EXTENSOR Tendon rupture
- Etiology
- caput ulnae ->EDM, EDC
- synovium invasion of 4th ->EDC, EIP
- listers tubercle->EPL
- ruptures ulanr to radial
- DDX for loss of digit extension
- MCP volar dislocation - loss of passive ROM
- tendon volar subluxation - can be actively held once passively extended
- PIN compression - all extensors, tenodesis normal
TREATMENT of extensor rupture
* all graft donors include PL, strip of ECRB/L, 4th toe extensor. Graft is always option for all ruptures
Rupture EPL => transfer EIP/EPB
” EDM => Tenodese EDM/EDC4/5, transfer EIP
” EDM, EDC5 => Tenodese EDC4 to EDM/5 OR transfer EIP to EDM/5
” EDM, EDC 4/5 =>Tenodeses EDC3 to 4, transfer EIP to 5/EDM
“EDM, EDC 3/4/5 =>Tenodeses EDC2 to 3, trasnfer EIP to 4/EDM
” EDM, EDC 2/3/4/5 =>Tenodese EIP to EDC3, trasnfer FDS4 to EDC 4/EDM
‘All fingers => Trasnfer FDS3 to EIP/EDC2/3 and FDS4 to EDC4/EDM
Thumb + all fingers => FDS3 to EPL/EIP, FDS4 to EDC3/4/5
What is your management of RA FLEXOR TENOSYNOVITIS
- may present as triggering and locked in flexion or extension
- tenosynovectomy if no improvement >6mths despite optimial medical Tx
FLEXOR TENOSYNOVECTOMY @ wrist
- palmar longitudinal incision slightly more ulnar than CTR, zigzag at wrist
- perform CTR
- excise synovium and nodules on tendon until full PROM
FLEXOR TENOSYNOVECTOMY @ digits (trigger)
- Bruner incision
- synovectomy long flexor tendon +/- nodule rsx +/- repair any flexor deficit +/- excise FDS slip
- DO NOT Release A1 as may leave to MCP volar subluxation
What is your management of FLEXOR TENDON RUPTURE?
- Etiology: attrition across bony spicules, direct synovium invasion
- Occurs radial to ulnar (opposite of Extensors)
- FPL most common
- rupture 2’ osteophyte on scaphoid = Mannerfelt lesion
- Tx
- tenosynovectomy, osteophyte rsx
- interpositional graft
- IP arthrodesis
- FDS4 trasnfer w bunnell pull out
- FDP rupture
- Treatment by zone only if FUNCTIONAL loss
- Zone 2 - IP arthrodesis
- Zone 3-4 - tenodese to adj FDP
- FDS rupture
- Tx by zone onl if functional loss
- Zone 2 - 2stage recon or IP arthrodesis
- Zone 3 -4- tenodese to adj tendon
- Multiple flexors
- grafts
- trasnfers FDS to FDP
- IP arthrodesis
- split FDP to power >1 finger
What is the pathophysiology of wrist deformity in RA?
Resultant untreated RA wrist deformity is
- volar dislocation of carpus on radius
- destruction of carpal bones
- dissociation of radio-ulnar joint
Pathophysiology on radial side
- RSL and RC ligaments attenuation
- scaphoid flexion deformity
- SL dissocation
- radiocarpal collapse
Pathophysiology on ulnar side
- Ulnocarpal lig attenuation
- Radioulnar dissociation
- ECU volar displacement
NET
- carpus supination
- radial metacarpal shift
- ulnar deviation of fingers