Synovial osteochondromatosis is a benign disease of synovial tissue, most commonly affecting the knee and elbow joint, and is rarely found in the hip joint. We report a case of synovial osteochondromatosis of the hip joint.
A 39-year-old man was admitted to Fukuoka University in November 1993 with a 2 year history of pain of the right hip joint. On admission, motion of the right hip joint was slightly restricted. Roentgenography of the right hip joint revealed expansion of the joint cavity. Arthrography of the right hip joint showed a honeycomb shadow. We performed arthrotomy using the Smith-Petersen approach, taking care not to dislocate the femoral head because of the potential hazard of necrosis associated with this. Many loose bodies and synovial tissue were removed and postoperatively, the patient did well. Six months postoperatively he had no pain and little disability, and radiographs showed no evidence of recurrence.
