Objective: To study the incidence of joint replacement procedure, arthrodesis, and synovectomy among patients with chronic inflammatory joint disease during the period 1994 to 2004.

Methods: Data from the Norwegian Arthroplasty Register was used to find the number of joint replacement procedures performed in Norway 1994 – 2004. The incidences of arthrodeses and synovectomies were obtained from the Norwegian Patient Register. Incidence rates were calculated based on age, year, and gender specific population rates for the Norwegian population, obtained from Statistics Norway.

Results: There were 8268 primary joint replacements, 3554 arthrodeses, and 5012 synovectomies performed in patients with inflammatory arthritis (IA) during the study period. A reduction in joint replacement procedures and synovectomies took place during the period 1994 to 2004, in patients with IA. For the oldest patients (80 years and older), no such trend was found. During the same time period, the incidence of joint replacements due to osteoarthritis increased. A significant reduction in the incidence of arthrodesis procedures was also found for the total study group, but not for the different subgroups.

Conclusion: The incidence of joint replacements and synovectomies among patients with chronic inflammatory joint disease decreased from 1994 to 2004. This may be the result of improved medical treatment of these patients.