What Is Resection And How Is It Used To Treat Rheumatoid Arthritis?

— -- Question: What is resection and how is it used to treat rheumatoid arthritis?

Answer: An important thing to appreciate is that some people with rheumatoid arthritis actually need surgery. Of interest is the fact that in 1985 I did an outcome study that showed 25 percent of those people who needed a knee replacement had rheumatoid arthritis. Now it's only 5 percent. That's how much better our therapy of rheumatoid arthritis has gotten. However, there still are people who need surgery, and that surgery can be profoundly important for them with regard to improving life.

And in the setting of surgery, such as with the joint replacement, some bone is resected, which means taken out, so that the prosthesis can be placed into that area to allow them to function normally.

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