Abstract
We wish to report on a rare case of chronic synovitis with loose bodies in the gleno-humeral joint.
A Case Report
A 24-year-old man visited Kahoku hospital in August 1994, complainning of pain and limitation of movements in this left shoulder. A plain X-ray revealed no abnormal findings, but an arthogram and MRI showed loose bodies in the gleno-humeral joint. The laboratory findings were normal. We diagnosed this case as synovial chondromatosis, and performed an arthroscopy and total removal of the loose bodies in December 1994. Fifteen loose bodies ranging from 10-30mm in size were removed, and synovial biopsy was performed at the same time. He complained of nothing three months after surgery.
The histological findings
Loose bodies were glittering, whitish, elastic soft, and various types of shapes, such as a sphere, a club and a sickle, were observed. Neither chondral nor osteochondral formations were detected in the loose bodies. The superficial layers consisted of lining cells such as synovial membrane, whereas the core was degenerative or hyalinized. Inflammatory cell infiltration and villus hyperplasia were observed in the synovial tissue.
