Recurrence of synovial chondromatosis of the Hoffa's body

Extraskeletal Para-articular Osteochondroma of the Ankle Joint in a Child: A Case Report

CASE

We present a rare case of extraskeletal para-articular osteochondroma (ESPAOC) in the ankle of a 9-year-old boy, which was causing pain and limiting the range of motion of the ankle joint. The lesion might have also contributed to the deformity of the medial aspect of the talus. Total resection resolved all of the symptoms, with no recurrence at 1-year postoperatively.

CONCLUSION

Operative excision should be considered when ESPAOC directly restricts ankle motion because it can lead to chronic pain and joint degeneration if left untreated.

Extra-articular synovial osteochondroma of the Hoffa's fat pad involving the patellar tendon: A case report and literature review

Synovial osteochondroma (SO) is a relatively uncommon tumor affecting the synovial joints that is characterized by the development of hyaline cartilage from the synovial membrane. The basic pathophysiology of SO is thought to be the metaplastic change of the synovium to hyaline cartilage. Large extra- or para-articular lesions in the Hoffa's fat pad are relatively uncommon. A 56-year-old woman complained of knee pain associated with a large lesion on the anterior of the right knee. She also had restricted range of motion in the knee. Examination revealed an elastic hard 8x9-cm lesion involving the patellar tendon. Computed tomography and magnetic resonance imaging demonstrated a mosaic-intensity mass lesion in the inferior side of the Hoffa's fat pad as well as the patellar tendon. The patient underwent needle biopsy. Histological analysis revealed a solitary SO. There were no atypical features suggestive of malignancy and the mass was resected marginally. The patient had no recurrence or knee functional disorder 3 years postoperatively. There are no reports of SO involving the patellar tendon with restriction of range of motion. Removal of the mass lesion for management for SO, as in the present case, is unusual. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first case of extra-articular SO in the Hoffa's fat pad involving the patellar tendon causing a restriction of range of motion of the knee. Marginal surgical resection improved knee function.

Synovial Chondromatosis of the Knee in a 2-Year-Old Child: A Case Report and Review of the Literature

CASE

We describe a rare case of synovial chondromatosis of the knee of a 2-year-old child. The diagnosis was based on the history, physical examination, and complementary examinations (radiography and magnetic resonance imaging). Anterior and posterior approaches were used for total synovectomy and resection of loose bodies.

CONCLUSION

Physicians should keep this condition in mind, even in young children, because early identification prevents future secondary degenerative changes in the knee joint. As far as we know, this is the youngest child with synovial chondromatosis of the knee reported in the English-language literature.

Uncommon Primary Synovial Chondromatosis Involving Only the Infrapatellar Fat Pad in an Elderly Patient

Primary synovial chondromatosis is a rare condition of idiopathic synovial chondrometaplasia and usually occurs during the third to fifth decades of life. Conversely, secondary synovial chondromatosis results from the growth of separated particles from articular cartilage or osteophytes in patients with joint diseases, such as degenerative osteoarthritis, and occurs mostly in elderly people. We describe here a 76-year-old male histopathologically confirmed as having primary synovial chondromatosis with no calcification of the infrapatellar fat pad (IFP) of the knee joint. To our knowledge, this is the first description of primary synovial chondromatosis of the knee joint confined to the IFP in a patient >60 years old.

The surgical treatment of anterior knee pain due to infrapatellar fat pad pathology: A systematic review

BACKGROUND

Anterior knee pain (AKP) encompasses a range of pathologies. As a result, there are a number of therapeutic options used to treat AKP. The non-operative treatments have been analysed in a number of randomised controlled trials and systematic reviews. There is however a scarcity of such publications covering the surgical management of AKP. There are no systematic reviews that have investigated surgical interventions for AKP due to pathology of the infrapatellar fat pad (IFP). The aims of this study were to review the literature systematically, to establish which surgical procedures have been used to treat IFP disease and to determine their efficacy.

METHODS

The review was conducted in accordance with the PRISMA reporting guidelines. A search of the literature was performed on 1st January 2014 using multiple databases including CENTRAL, MEDLINE, EMBASE, PubMed, and Google Scholar. The quality of the studies was assessed using Oxford Evidence-Based Medicine Levels of Evidence guidelines and the GRADE approach.

RESULTS

Twenty-four eligible studies were found and included. The critical appraisal identified that the current evidence-base has low methodology quality. The clinical findings indicated that there is a positive trend towards the surgical management of IFP disease for AKP symptoms. Excision of IFP tumours and resection of the IFP in Hoffa's disease can lead to improvements in symptoms and function.

CONCLUSIONS

Truly robust evidence to support the surgical management of IFP pathology requires randomised controlled trials; however the expenses involved to design such trials means that they are unlikely to be undertaken for this uncommon disorder. Consequently well-designed and well-reported case series need to be undertaken to improve our current understanding that includes recording quantitative measures such as range of knee motion, VAS Pain scores and a validated scoring system.

Intra-articular giant synovial osteochondroma: case reports of the ankle and knee joint

Two cases of giant intra-articular osteochondromas (knee and ankle joint) are reported; pathologically they are rare representations of synovial chondromatosis. A 17-year-old man presented with a tumorous mass which had been localized in his left ankle for many years, increasing in volume during the last months. The lesion was removed by posteromedial ankle arthrotomy. The second case was observed in a 39-year-old woman with a slow-growing mass in her right knee joint. The lesion was removed from the Hoffa fat pad by open anteromedial arthrotomy.

Disseminated synovial chondromatosis of the knee treated by open radical synovectomy using combined anterior and posterior approaches

Synovial chondromatosis of the knee is a rare benign neoplasm of the synovium. Likewise, uncertainty on management still prevails. Though rare, it nevertheless warrants greater emphasis than it receives in the literature to allow correct diagnosis and accurate early surgical intervention. It predominantly involves the anterior compartment of the knee and disseminated disease is extremely rare. The optimal approach for surgical treatment of such an extensive synovial chondromatosis of knee remains unclear. Herein, we describe a case of extensive generalized synovial chondromatosis of the knee extending into the Baker's cyst in a 30 years old female. A diagnosis of synovial chondromatosis was made by clinical evaluation and MR imaging and confirmed by histopathological examination. Patient was successfully treated by open radical synovectomy of knee using both anterior and posterior approaches in a single step procedure.

Arthroscopic treatment of localized synovial chondromatosis of the posterior knee joint

Synovial chondromatosis is an uncommon, benign neoplastic process typically affecting adult men and most commonly involving the knee, hip, and elbow joints. Intra-articular primary synovial chondromatosis in the knee joint may be localized or generalized. The symptoms associated with localized synovial chondromatosis may include diffuse pain, swelling, restricted motion, crepitus with symptoms of locking and giving way, and posteromedial tenderness mimicking medial meniscus tear. Diagnosis is usually established with magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and confirmed by histological examination. To our knowledge, synovial chondromatosis of the knee joint in the posteromedial corner has not been reported in the literature.