Chronic Synovial Effusions Treated With Intra-Articular Radioactive Gold

Abstract

The successful use of radioactive colloidal gold (Au¹⁹⁸) in the treatment of malignant peritoneal and pleural effusions prompted its trial use in cases of persistent synovial effusion in which orthodox methods had consistently failed. A trial was carried out on 25 joints in 22 patients with persistent effusions. The injections were given intra-articularly. Follow-up ranging from ten months to six years showed three failures. Pain was almost always relieved and movement facilitated. No complications, either immediate or delayed, occurred as a result of the injection. The 10-mc dose used was estimated on an assumption of surface area of the synovium. The clinical success of the method would suggest that this dose is adequate to relieve effusion.