[Indications for rheumatoid orthopedic interventions and priorities in the long-term treatment plan]

The treatment of the polyarthritic patient has to consider the whole personality in order to be effective. This difficult task calls for a well functioning team. In this team the Rheuma-surgeon plays a decisive role. He will only be able to satisfy all the expectations if he masters, by virtue of his training and experience, the art of setting up a treatment plan with priorities. In order to outline a list of priorities, he has to answer the questions: What are the patient's needs, desires and expectations? What are the predictable end results of the measures envisaged and what are the remaining possibilities in case of surgical failure or when abstaining from surgery? Three categories of operation are outlined according to the expected success rate. Of particular importance is the patient's motivation.