[Surgical interventions in psoriatic arthritis]

As a general disease, psoriatic arthritis (which besides the skin and the joint can also affect internal organs) takes a special place amongst chronic polyarthritis conditions. It is characterized by combination of psoriasis with a seronegative polyarthritis affecting the spine and above all the joints in the hands and feet (frequently asymmetrically). The form and extent of the often painful joint and spinal involvement not uncommonly lead to an appreciable impairment of various functions and thus to a handicap for the patient. A series of different operations extending from synovectomy to arthrodesis and joint replacement improve the pain as well as functional restrictions. However, they also lead to new knowledge on the nature, etiology and development of this disease via photographic documentation of findings and investigation of the tissue obtained intraoperatively. In the years 1967 to 1984, 457 single operations were carried out in 80 patients with psoriatic arthritis. The results allow the conclusion that patients with psoriatic arthritis should be admitted to special hospitals for surgical treatment more frequently than was the practice up to now.