[Rheum-orthopedics in the system of complex treatment of rheumatoid arthritis]. / Revmoortopediia v sisteme kompleksnogo lecheniia revmatoidnogo artrita.

The author presents an original conceptual scheme of the complex medical rehabilitation of patients with RA on the basis of the conservative and surgical treatment of RA (3,000 cases). Successful results were attained in 70% of cases (follow-up of 5 years).

[Rheumoorthopedics as an integral part of complex therapy of rheumatic diseases with joint involvement]. / Revmoortopediia kak neot''emlemaia chast' kompleksnoi terapii revmaticheskikh zabolevanii s porazheniem sustavov.

The paper gives the results of conservative and surgical rehabilitation of patients over 38 years after the foundation of an orthopedic service at the Institute of Rheumatology. Conservative treatments for rheumatic diseases (RD) such as position treatment, formation of a correct stereotype, treatment of the cervical portion of the spine in rheumatic arthritis (RA) and osteoarthrosis derformans (OAD) are evaluated. The author's own experience involving over 5000 operations on the locomotor apparatus in RD, which permits assessment of the most common and successful operations, such as sinovectomy, arthroplasty, arthrodesis, endoprosthesis. Rheumoorthopedics is a part of complex rehabilitative treatment for RD as it enables one to infer actively at different stages of RD and to achieve high results in patients, including those who unresponsive to medical treatment.

[Characteristics of rehabilitation in patients with rheumatic diseases]. / Ossobennosti vosstanovitel'nogo lecheniia bol'nykh revmatologicheskogo profilia.

The paper deals with problems of rehabilitation of patients with rheumatoid arthritis, osteoarthrosis and systemic lupus erythematosus. These problems are rather topical in view of high prevalence of rheumatic diseases, their severe course and a high rate of invalidization at the most productive age. Relevant multifactorial therapeutic measures should be staged, aimed at lowering and stabilization of the disease activity. The role of updated medication, joint surgery, diet therapy, etc. is shown.

[The surgical treatment of the elbow joint in rheumatoid arthritis patients]. / Khirurgicheskoe lechenie loktevogo sustava u bol'nykh revmatoidnym artritom.

Preliminary assessment of early and late synovectomies of the elbow joint in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) was made on the basis of combined examination of 48 patients with RA (23 patients from the USSR and 25 patients from Finland). All the patients were subjected to synovectomy of the elbow joint, early surgical interventions being conducted in the Finnish group and the late ones in the Soviet group. Every patient was examined one year after the operation, pain disappeared in about 7/10 of the patients. Late synovectomy proved effective in 3/5 of the cases. Surgical treatment of late classes of elbow joint arthritis made a favourable effect on the function of the hand as a whole and its capacity for self-service. A more lengthy observation is required to make a comparative assessment of early and late synovectomies of the elbow joint.

[Study of articular cartilage and the synovial membrane using IR spectroscopy]. / Izuchenie sustavnogo kriashcha i sinovial'noi obolochki posredstvom IK-spektroskopii.

The infrared spectra of normal knee joint cartilage, normal and rheumatoid arthritis-affected human synovial membrane and the same normal bovine tissues were obtained over the region of 400--4000 cm-1. A comparative analysis of the spectra of these tissues and those containing hyaluronate, protein-chondroitin-keratan sulfate aggregates of cartilage proteoglycans and heparin made it possible to identify greater absorption bands of these biopolymers in the tissue spectra. The interpretation of the results obtained is presented.