Rheumatic diseases affect 1-2% of the population. Affections of the cervical spine, in particular the atlanto-axial joint are within the range of 40-70%. Due to the close collaboration with the Rheuma- tological Institute in Prague and the orthopaedic department of his hospital the authors introduced an alternative therapeutic procedure for a narrow spectrum of patients who suffer from pain which does not respond to analgetic treatment or who have neurological manifestations and are not yet indicated for surgical stabilization.

        Key words: rheumatoid arthritis - intervention - atlanto-epistrophic intervention in polyarthritis