This procedure is typically recommended to provide relief from a condition in which the synovial membrane or the joint lining becomes inflamed and irritated and is not controlled by medication alone.
Chemical Synovectomy involves an intraarticular osmic acid injection with the objective to debulk or reduce the inflammatory synovial mass.
Synovectomy for RA[2] has become relatively rare because nowadays patients with Rheumatoid Arthritis [3] have access to disease modifying drugs called biologics that are effective in containing the inflammation that damages the synovial tissue.
In cases when the patient undergoes a rapid deterioration of joints, physicians lean towards a total knee replacement as the last recourse option.
Still, in select cases where the patient is resistant to biologics as well as have higher risk factors for a TKR, synovectomy can still be looked into to provide some relief ranging anywhere from a one-year to three-year period.