[Surgical treatment of rheumatoid lesions of the joints]

Thirty-four years of experience gained with the treatment of patients suffering from rheumatoid arthritis made it possible to develop a complex of orthopedic treatment methods (conservative and surgical) based on the clinical, x-ray and morphological classification. These methods allow arresting inflammation in the joint, preventing destruction of the joint and formation of concordant and disconcordant deformities, correcting deformities, recovering function, the patients activity, returning ability to active life, to social useful work, and minimizing the patients' disability.