SummaryThe effect of 80 mg. triamcinolone acetonide given by intramuscular injection was studied in 12 patients with active rheumatoid arthritis. The patients were followed for 4 weeks, with weekly assessments of joint pain and tenderness, digital joint circumference, hand grip, and radioactive pertechnetate (99mTc) knee joint uptakes. Another 12 patients with active rheumatoid arthritis received an injection of saline and acted as controls.The results showed that triamcinolone acetonide acted on average for 3 weeks. Subjective clinical parameters showed greater improvement than objective measurements, such as99mTc knee joint uptakes.