Synovectomy of twenty-three elbows was done in eighteen patients, eight
to twenty-five years old, who had severe hemophilia and were followed for
eighteen to seventy months. Episodes of bleeding recurred in four elbows,
and moderate pain persisted in three. A significant improvement in mobility
was observed for pronation-supination in nine elbows and for
flexion-extension in fourteen. No radiographic evidence of arthritis was
seen. Synovectomy of the elbow, performed through a single lateral
incision, appears to be a valuable surgical procedure in hemophiliacs in
whom non-operative treatment has failed, and resection of the radial head
should be done in adults when there is moderate or severe damage to the
cartilage of the radial head.