[Synovectomy in knee infection. Late results]

When short-term conventional treatment of pyogenic knee-joint infections does not relieve the symptoms, in most cases the patients can be cured with an synovectomy within a few weeks. In this procedure, the infected site, the synovial membrane, is excised. Immediately after the operation, functional treatment starts to improve joint mobility and cartilage nutrition. Of 17 synovectomies followed up after an average of 9.5 years, 10 were free of pain, 13 patients were able to walk without restriction, 12 could flex their knee more than 120 degrees, and 9 knees showed no radiographic signs of osteoarthritis. This 10-year follow-up shows that early synovectomy and functional treatment can lead to good long-term results. Therefore, this procedure can be recommended.