Abstract
Objective. To evaluate the influence of methotrexate (MTX) on the frequency of postoperative complications in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Methods. We conducted a randomized unblinded prospective study in 64 patients with RA treated with MTX and who underwent orthopedic surgery. Two groups of patients were constituted: in Group A (32 patients), MTX was interrupted 7 days before the surgery; in Group B (32 patients), MTX was not discontinued. Results. Fifty surgical procedures were performed in Group A and 39 procedures in Group B. No postoperative infection was observed in any group. A prolonged wound healing was noticed in 6 cases in Group A and in 4 cases in Group B (not significant). Conclusion. We suggest that the interruption of MTX is not required in patients with RA when an orthopedic surgical treatment is planned. However a large prospective study is needed to make a definitive conclusion.
| Original language | English (US) |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 1129-1132 |
| Number of pages | 4 |
| Journal | Journal of Rheumatology |
| Volume | 20 |
| Issue number | 7 |
| State | Published - 1993 |
| Externally published | Yes |
All Science Journal Classification (ASJC) codes
- Rheumatology
- Immunology and Allergy
- Immunology