JACCOUDS ARTHROPATHY - 3 CASE-REPORTS

Jaccoud's arthropathy is a chronic joint disorder responsible for seve re deformities, particularly in the hands where subluxation of the met acarpophalangeal joints is common. The deformities are painless and re versible. Three cases are reported. One was a 44-year-old man with a h istory of multiple flares of rheumatic fever responsible for developme nt in 1974 of mitral and aortic valvular disease. He developed Jaccoud 's arthropathy in 1979. In another patient, a 21-year-old man, the Jac coud's arthropathy was associated with seronegative rheumatoid arthrit is. The third patient was a 27-year-old woman who developed Jaccoud's arthropathy after a bout of lupus. These three cases and a review of t he literature provide the basis for a review of the clinical features, radiologic changes, and outcome of this joint disorder long considere d to be a specific complication of rheumatic fever.