Surgical treatment of gout

The surgical treatment of gout includes the following two aspects. The first is that if gout involves the knee joint, showing gouty knee arthritis, or gouty synovitis, gouty crystals are deposited in the knee joint, then arthroscopic surgery is needed. Arthroscopic cleaning of hyperplastic synovium and cleaning of deposited tophite can improve or disappear the patient's symptoms. The second condition is when gout stones deposit on the fingers, toes, or in front of or under the wrist, elbow, or knee joint. Surgery is needed to remove the tophite, which often shows significant pain and limited movement of the joint. Because the tophite deposits in the soft tissue of the joint and tendons, it may not be completely removed.