Carpal ankylosis in juvenile rheumatoid arthritis

Forty-seven of 100 consecutive juvenile rheumatoid arthritis patients with wrist arthritis were found to have ankylosis at the carpal joints. this finding was significantly more frequent in juvenile than in adult rheumatoid arthritis patients. The carpometacarpal wrist segment was the most frequently ankylosed. Ankylosis was not related to any particular feature of the disease, but disease duration was longer in patients with ankylosis. A significant association was found between carpal ankylosis and cervical apophyseal joint fusion.