This paper reports a case of osteochondromatosis of the knee joint, we recently experienced, which had as many as 1677 loose bodies in the knee joint.
The patient is twenty-eight year old office lady. She has suffered from the swelling and the pain of her left knee for three years without any exciting cause. Her pain increased at walking. In spite of the various treatment by the practicians, her condition did not improved and at last she visited our hospital.
The diffused swelling, oppressive pain, inflammation and fluctuation were recognized at the suprapateller region of the left knee. The flexion was slightly limited.
X-ray findings; On arthrography, the innumerable dotted shadows were seen at the super pateller lesions of the left knee.
Operative findings; The suprapateller lesions of the left knee and the articular cavity were filled with the loose bodies of the size of the dried boiled rice and the knotted swelling and the congestion were recognized on the surface of the synovial membrane.
The extraction of the loose bodies and the curetting of the synovial membrane were performed.
All of the 1677 extracted loose bodies were the small pieces of the white opaque cartilage which were about the size of the dried boiled rice, whose surface was smooth and as hard as the cartilage.
Pathological and histological findings; All of the loose bodies consist of the mature cartilage cells. The ossification within the cartilage and the formation of the medullary cavity could not be recognized.
