Retrospective Evaluation of Synovial Chondromatosis with Histopathological and Clinical Features

Objective: Synovial chondromatosis (SC) is a rare, benign condition characterized by the formation of nodular cartilage within the synovium of joints, bursae, or tendon sheaths. The condition typically presents as loose body-like nodules, which often exhibit calcification and ossification. SC primar...

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Main Authors: Özden ÖZ, Murat SEZAK, Başak DOĞANAVŞARGİL, İpek TAMSEL, Hüseyin KAYA, Elcil KAYA BİÇER, Emin BÜYÜKTALANCI, Gülçin BAŞDEMİR
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Galenos Yayinevi 2025-08-01
Series:Forbes Tıp Dergisi
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Online Access:https://forbestip.org/articles/retrospective-evaluation-of-synovial-chondromatosis-with-histopathological-and-clinical-features/doi/forbes.galenos.2025.52385
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Summary:Objective: Synovial chondromatosis (SC) is a rare, benign condition characterized by the formation of nodular cartilage within the synovium of joints, bursae, or tendon sheaths. The condition typically presents as loose body-like nodules, which often exhibit calcification and ossification. SC primarily affects adults and most commonly involves large joints. Histologically, it is defined by synovium-lined cartilaginous nodules displaying varying degrees of peripheral cellularity. Due to overlapping features, SC may be misdiagnosed as a chondroid malignancy, particularly in limited biopsy specimens. Methods: We performed a retrospective review of cases diagnosed as SC in the Department of Pathology at Ege University Faculty of Medicine between 1986 and 2020. Archived materials were analyzed for epidemiological characteristics, clinical presentation, macroscopic and microscopic histopathological features, and imaging findings. Results: A total of 114 cases were identified, with a nearly equal gender distribution (male-to-female ratio: 0.95). The median age was 54±16.7 years (range: 18-86 years). The knee was the most affected site (56.14%, n=64), followed by the ankle (14.03%), hip (12.28%), wrist (9.64%), elbow (5.26%), and shoulder (2.63%). Histopathological reevaluation was performed on 62 cases. No correlation was found between histological features and patient age, gender, lesion location, or recurrence. Conclusion: Most cases involved the knee joint, although rarer sites such as the ankle were also observed. Notably, synovial lining over the nodules was not consistently present. Many nodules exhibited increased cellularity, nuclear pleomorphism, and hyperchromatism-features that can mimic low-grade chondrosarcoma. Histological and cytological features did not correlate with recurrence in our cohort.
ISSN:2757-5241