Tumour necrosis factor alpha blockade in treatment resistant pigmented villonodular synovitis

Description: Case report: A patient presented with severe treatment resistant PVNS of the right knee joint. Several conventional treatment regimens, including open surgical synovectomy and intra-articular injections of yttrium-90 (90Y) failed to control the disease. After finding marked tumour necrosis factor α (TNFα) expression in arthroscopic synovial tissue samples, treatment with an anti-TNFα monoclonal antibody (infliximab) at a dose of 5 mg/kg was started. Additional courses with the same dose given 2, 6, 14, and 20 weeks later, and bimonthly thereafter up to 54 weeks, controlled the signs and symptoms.
Tumour necrosis factor alpha blockade in treatment resistant pigmented villonodular synovitis. Kroot EJ, Kraan MC, Smeets TJ, Maas M, Tak PP, Wouters JM. Ann Rheum Dis. 2005 Mar;64(3):497-