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Background: Diffuse pigmented villonodular synovitis (DPVNS) is a challenging tumor-like disorder that mainly occurs in the anterior aspect of the knee joint. The growth may sometimes extend to the posterior knee joint. Surgical excision is the mainstream treatment for DPVNS, and the posterior approach of tumor excision is adopted when the dominant tumor shows posterior extension. However, the optimal surgical approach over the posterior knee remains unknown., Methods: Patients with DPVNS of the knee joint who received the posterior approach of synovectomy from 1995 to 2019 were retrospectively reviewed to describe the modified separate posterior (SP) approaches, and evaluate the treatment outcomes in a case series of DPVNS knees. The results of the SP approach was also compared with those of traditional direct posterior (DP) approach. Postoperative functional outcomes were evaluated using the Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Osteoarthritis Index (WOMAC) standardized questionnaire and clinician-completed Musculoskeletal Tumor Society (MSTS) functional rating system at outpatient department., Results: A total of 20 DPVNS knees were included. Thirteen patients who received SP approaches were included in the SP group, while seven patients who received the DP approach were included in the DP group. The median follow-up times were 5.7 years (IQR, 2-8.8) in the SP group and 3 years (IQR, 2-5.3) in the DP group. Both groups showed satisfactory safety. The SP group presented higher postoperative mean WOMAC (91.23 ± 7.20) and mean MSTS (24.23 ± 2.68) than the DP group (mean WOMAC: 76.00 ± 16.57; mean MSTS: 22.43 ± 4.69). The Wilcoxon signed-rank test was use to compare preoperative and postoperative range of motion (ROM) for each group. The significant difference in SP group (p = 0.004) was found while p = 0.131 in DP group., Conclusions: The SP approach provides an effective approach with satisfactory outcomes for the surgical treatment of DPVNS knees., (© 2022. The Author(s).)

Background: Arthroscopic closure release includes arthroscopic lateral patella retinaculum releasing (LPRR) either outside synovial membrane (OSM) or through synovial membrane (TSM). At present, there is no research to compare the clinical efficacy of the above two methods for the treatment of lateral patellar compression syndrome (LPCS). So, the goal of this study was to investigate the method and overcome of arthroscopic LPRR either OSM or TSM for the treatment of LPCS., Methods: From September 2014 to December 2017, 125 patients of LPCS underwent arthroscopic LPRR either OSM or TSM combined with joint debridement. In the OSM group, knee joint was cleaned first. The surface of lateral patella retinaculum (LPR) was created the chamber for arthroscopic operation to release LPR. Synovial membrane was retained. In the TSM group, knee joint was cleaned first. Then synovial membrane, joint capsule and LPR, and superficial fascia were gradually incised from the joint cavity to subcutaneous tissue. The synovial membrane was cut open. Before and after surgery, Lysholm score, patella medial shift, Kujala score, VAS score and surgical complications were collected for evaluating clinical overcomes., Results: All patients were followed up for 1.5-5 years. All patients had significant reduction in knee pain and improved function after 1 month and 1 year. The Lysholm score, the distance of patella medial shift, Kujala score, and VAS score in the OSM group and the TSM group were significantly improved in the final follow-up compared with before surgery (All P < 0.001), but these observed targets before surgery and at the last follow-up were compared between the OSM group and the TSM group with no statistical differences. However, the number of occurrences of joint hematoma and adhesion was significantly higher in the TSM group than the OSM group (P = 0.024)., Conclusions: Arthroscopic closing LPRR for the treatment of LPCS can effectively improve the function and symptoms of patellofemoral joint with the advantages of small trauma, rapid recovery and less complications. But, the number of occurrences of hemarthrosis and joint adhesion were significantly higher in the TSM group than in the OSM group., Trial Registration: The trial registration number (IRCT): IRCT20200205046378N1 and date of registration: February 10, 2020 (retrospectively registered).

Objective: The aim of this study was to assess the treatment results of 90 Y radiation synovectomy for chronic exudative synovitis of knee joints., Methods: The retrospective data consist of 394 consecutive knee radiation synovectomies performed using 6 mCi (222 MBq) of 90 Y. The assessment included 3-point custom pain and joint mobility scale, evaluation of joint's circumference, binary joint's temperature evaluation, patellar ballottement test, indications for puncture and its volume in applicable cases. 21 cases had to be forfeited due to missing data regarding follow-up., Results: The final analysis of 373 treatment procedures performed in 253 patients yielded following results-at 6 months after treatment, 80.9% of the patients reported at least partial pain relief (including 33.3% with complete pain relief), which increased to 86.7% at one year. The pain intensity decreased over time, however, the outcomes were worse in older patients. The probability of pain recurrence was 15% at 6 months, and 28% at one year. It was highest in post-traumatic synovitis, and lowest in pigmented villonodular synovitis. The circumference of the treated knee joints decreased over the course of follow-up, however, the decrease was significantly lower in older patients. The fraction of patients with full knee joint mobility increased from 34.6 to 40.6% at 6 months and 49.2% at one year. The percentage of patients that required articular puncture decreased from 62.8% at baseline to about 35.6% at 6 months, and 32.8% at one year. Positive patellar ballottement was found in 68.5% before treatment and remained at about 40-50% during the course of follow-up. The increased temperature of the joint was reported in 51.2% at baseline and decreased to 33% at 6 months and 28.3% at one year., Conclusions: (1) Radiation synovectomy is a safe and effective method of treatment in patients with exudative synovitis, however, the pain recurrence rate is significantly higher in post-traumatic exudative synovitis compared to pigmented villonodular, undifferentiated, and rheumatoid arthritis. (2) Our results suggest that older patients have worse treatment results with radiation synovectomy compared to younger patients.

Background: Synovial hemangioma is a benign intra-articular tumor. This condition is rare and unfamiliar soft tissue tumor to most orthopedic surgeons. Delayed diagnosis causes osteoarthritic damage and the destruction of joint structures due to infiltrating tumor growth. We discuss the patterns of tumor location and the appropriate surgical procedure for this condition., Methods: Ten patients were treated surgically in our department. These comprised five males and five females ranging in age from 0 to 17 years (average age 12.4 years). Preoperative diagnosis was made using clinical findings, plain radiographs and magnetic resonance imaging. The follow-up time after surgery was at least 3 years., Results: The main symptom was pain. Three cases revealed hemarthrosis. The range of motion of the affected knee joint was limited in five cases. The average time between onset of pain and diagnosis was 3 years. Tumor location was classified into three patterns: (1) anterior patellofemoral joint type in five, (2) posterior popliteal type in two and (3) diffuse proliferation type in two. Open arthrotomy with synovectomy was performed in all cases. No tumor recurrences were experienced after a minimum follow-up of 3 years., Conclusion: Clinical symptom and magnetic resonance imaging are helpful to obtain the diagnosis and determine the extent of the lesion. Depending on the tumor location, synovial hemangioma in the knee joint can be classified into patellofemoral, popliteal and diffuse types. Open arthrotomy with sufficient tumor and synovectomy is important to prevent tumor recurrence.

Objective: To investigate the effect of knee arthroscopic synovectomy (AS) on the disease activity, quality-of-life (QoL), and the functional status of patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA)., Materials and Methods: A retrospective analysis was conducted on the outcomes of AS performed on 138 RA patients; pre-surgery assessments were done using Disease Activity score (DAS 28) and Routine Assessment of Patient Index Data З (RAPID-3) on а multidimensional health-assessment questionnaire for disease activity, EuroQol-5D (EQ-5D) and the Short-Form Medical Outcomes Study (SF-36) for quality of life, and the Health Assessment Questionnaire (HAQ) for functional status. The pain response to SA was measured by а visual analogue score (VAS) and the Knee Society Score (KSS)., Results: All parameters assessed in the study showed significant positive changes: the activity of the disease decreased, and patients' functional status and QoL improved., Conclusion: AS is effective treatment for recurrent synovitis of the knee in RA patients. This technique improves the functional status of patients and their quality of life and reduces the activity of the disease.

Objective: To investigate the efficacy of arthroscopic synovectomy on refractory knee arthritis complicated with popliteal cyst. Methods: Patients diagnosed as rheumatoid arthritis (RA) or spondyloarthritis (SpA) with refractory knee arthritis who underwent knee arthroscopic synovectomy in our hospital from 2010 to 2017 were enrolled, including 20 patients (16 RA, 4 SpA) with popliteal cyst. Clinical data, RA disease activity score (DAS28), SpA back pain score, etc, were collected to evaluate the efficacy of knee surgery. Results: Erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR) [58(17, 79)mm/1h vs. 19(9, 30)mm/1h, P< 0.001],C reactive protein (CRP) [3.72(0.92,8.14) mg/L vs. 0.85(0.10,3.08) mg/L, P< 0.001], rheumatoid factor [64.6(20.2,193.3) vs. 20.5(10.0,58.4), P< 0.001], DAS28 score(4.67±1.25 vs. 2.81±1.23, P< 0.001), knee joint discomfort score [5(4,6) vs. 2(1,3), P< 0.001] and the volume of knee joint effusion by ultrasound ( P< 0.05) in 95 RA patients were significantly decreased compared to those before operation. ESR [27(12,54)mm/1h vs. 20 (16,28) mm/1 h, P< 0.001], CRP [3.27(1.06,6.95) mg/L vs. 1.41(0.34,3.03)mg/L, P< 0.001],knee discomfort score [2(0,5) vs. 1(0,3), P< 0.05], back pain visual analogue score (VAS) [5(4,5) vs. 2(1,3), P< 0.001], and the volume of knee joint effusion by ultrasound ( P< 0.001) in 58 SpA patients were significantly lower than those before the operation.The rate [16.84%(16/95) vs. 6.32%(6/95), P= 0.023] and grading ( P= 0.007) of popliteal cyst in RA were decreased after the operation. No statistically difference was observed in the rate [6.90% (4/58) vs. 5.17%(3/58), P= 0.697] of popliteal cyst in patients with SpA, yet with a trend of decrease in 4 patients. Conclusion: This study provide evidence that knee arthroscopic synovectomy has a good effect for refractory knee arthritis, which can reduce disease activity, improve joint symptoms and decrease the grading of popliteal cyst.

The purpose of this study was to evaluate and describe the clinical results of complete arthroscopic synovectomy through the four arthroscopic portals in the knees affected by diffuse pigmented villonodular synovitis (DPVNS). Between 2009 and 2012, 21 patients (15 men and 6 women) with the diffuse form of PVNS of the knee were enrolled in the study after qualification. The clinical diagnosis was confirmed by magnetic resonance imaging and postsurgical pathologic examination. All patients underwent complete synovectomy through posteromedial, posterolateral, anteromedial, and anterolateral portals. Each patient was evaluated before treatment and followed up for a minimum of 5 years (range: 60-79 months) using the Lysholm score and International Knee Documentation Committee (IKDC) score. Both Lysholm score and IKDC scores were significantly improved in all study participants. No cases of clinical recurrence, infection, joint stiffness, or neurovascular lesions were observed. This study showed that an attentive arthroscopic synovectomy is a safer alternative with better clinical outcomes, with no clinical recurrences., Competing Interests: None declared., (Thieme Medical Publishers 333 Seventh Avenue, New York, NY 10001, USA.)

Objectives: This study aims to analyze the effect of radiosynovectomy (RSO) on the radiological progression of osteoarthritis of the knee joint., Patients and Methods: The study included 207 knee joints of 181 patients (72 males, 109 females; mean age 58 years; range, 19 to 65 years) that were performed RSO between 01 April 2003 and 31 December 2015 in the Department of Orthopedics and Traumatology at Uzsoki Hospital. A total of 111 right and 96 left knees were treated. The mean duration of follow-up was 8.7 years (range, 1 to 12 years). Of the 181 patients, both knee joints were treated in 26., Results: Of the 207 treated knee joints, 163 had the same Kellgren-Lawrence grade at the time of follow-up compared to the grade at the time of RSO, while 44 had worse outcomes. This indicated that radiological progression was not present in 79% of the treated knee joints. The intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) showed significantly strong agreement between the pre- and post-measurements (ICC=0.835, p<0.001)., Conclusion: Radiosynovectomy was able to impede radiological progression in 79% of the treated joints and only one-grade deterioration was observed in 39 cases during follow-up.

Objective: To evaluate the treatment response of lutetium-177 tin colloid radiosynovectomy (Lu-RSV) in patients with inflammatory knee joint conditions refractory to conventional treatment., Patients and Methods: Overall, 29 knee joints in 29 patients with chronic synovitis caused by various inflammatory knee joint diseases refractory to conventional therapy were included in this prospective study. All patients were assessed clinically for pain, tenderness, joint swelling, mobility, analgesic intake, and blood pool activity on bone scan. Different scores were assigned to all these parameters. RSV of knee joint was done using intra-articular injection of Lu tin colloid. Response was assessed at 3 months using various clinical parameter scores and blood pool bone scan as mentioned before and categorized as responders and nonresponders on the basis of change in percentage of cumulative scores., Results: Of the 29 joints, 21 were responders and eight were nonresponders at 3 months after RSV. There was a statistically significant reduction in clinical parameters cumulative scores at follow-up when compared with baseline (P<0.0001). Blood pool scintigraphy also showed decrease in blood pool activity compared with the baseline. There was statistically significant association between the responder group and absence of radiological abnormality., Conclusion: Lu tin colloid synovectomy is a useful treatment modality in patients with chronic inflammatory knee joint conditions refractory to conventional treatment. Patients with shorter duration of disease and normal or minor radiographic findings are better candidates for RSV.

Aims: Intra-articular 90 Yttrium ( 90 Y) is an adjunct to surgical treatment by synovectomy for patients with diffuse-type tenosynovial giant-cell tumour (dtTGCT) of the knee, with variable success rates. Clinical information is, however, sparse and its value remains unclear. We investigated the long-term outcome of patients who underwent synovectomy with and without adjuvant treatment with 90 Yttrium., Patients and Methods: All patients with dtTGCT of the knee who underwent synovectomy between 1991 and 2014 were included in the study. Group A patients underwent synovectomy and an intra-articular injection of 90 Yttrium between six and eight weeks after surgery. Group B patients underwent surgery alone., Results: There were 34 patients in group A and 22 in group B. Recurrence of dtTGCT was identified by MRI, which was undertaken in patients with further symptoms. At a mean follow-up of 7.3 years (2.5 to 25.4), there was residual disease in 15 patients in group A and 11 in group B (p < 0.363). The mean Musculoskeletal Tumor Society (MSTS) score at final follow-up was 85% and 83%, respectively (p < 0.91)., Conclusion: There were no significant differences in outcome between patients treated surgically for dtTGCT of the knee with or without an adjuvant intra-articular injection of 90 Yttrium. We were unable to provide conclusive evidence of any benefits derived from the adjuvant treatment. Cite this article: Bone Joint J 2018;100-B:984-8.

Synovial lipomatosis (SL; lipoma arborescens) is a tumor-like condition with villous proliferation of the synovium. The exact etiology of SL is still unknown. The knee is the most commonly involved part. The goal of this retrospective study was to report the results of arthroscopic synovectomy in patients with SL in their knee joints as well as to emphasize the importance of considering this pathology when treating patients with recurrent knee joint effusions. In total, 21 patients (8 females and 13 males) were evaluated retrospectively from May 2009 to July 2014. The mean follow-up period was 29.13 (range, 12-61) months. The mean duration of compliance was 22.76 (range, 7-61) months. All patients were evaluated by Knee Society score pre- and postoperatively. The mean preoperative and last follow-up Knee Society scores were 67.82 and 88.23 points, respectively. There was a significant difference between the preoperative and postoperative Knee Society scores ( p  = 0.0001). Histopathological examinations showed that the subsynovial layer exhibited diffuse replacement by mature fat cells that had formed villous projections. In addition, infiltration of mononuclear inflammatory cells was observed at different stages. SL is a nondestructive and benign tumor pathology of the knee joint without a clearly identified etiology. The main difficulty in diagnosis is lack of clinical practice., Competing Interests: None., (Thieme Medical Publishers 333 Seventh Avenue, New York, NY 10001, USA.)

Background: Pigmented villonodular synovitis (PVNS) is a rare proliferative process in children that mostly affects the knee joint., Case Presentation: The study follows the case of a 3-year-old boy presenting recurrent patellar dislocation and PVNS. Due to symptoms such as chronic arthritis, he had been taking prednisolone and methotrexate for 6 months before receiving a definitive diagnosis. After a period of showing no improvements from his treatment, he was referred to our center and was diagnosed with local PVNS using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). The patient was treated for his patellar dislocation by way of open synovectomy, lateral retinacular release, and a proximal realignment procedure, with no recurrence after a 24-month follow-up., Conclusion: PVNS may appear with symptoms resembling juvenile idiopathic arthritis, thus the disease should be considered in differential diagnosis of any inflammatory arthritis in children. PVNS may also cause mechanical symptoms such as patellar dislocation. In addition to synovectomy, a realignment procedure can be a useful method of treatment.

Pigmented villonodular synovitis (PVNS) is a rare benign proliferation of synovial joints, serous bursa, tendinous sheaths of unknown etiopathogeny. We here report 20 cases of PVNS of the knee recorded at the Avicenne Military Hospital, Marrakech over a period of 9 years, from January 2000 to December 2009. This study aimed to identify the specific features of this lesion and to examine its anatomoclinic and prognostic aspects. Annual incidence was 2.2 cases per year: 15 men and 5 women. The average age was 32.5 years. It occurred in the right-hand in 55%, 18 patients had monoarticular presentation of the disease while 1 patient had biarticular presentation of the disease. 80% of cases had pain and swelling, palpable mass was detected in 1 case, meniscal syndrome in 1 case, monoseptic arthritis in 3 cases while popliteal cyst in 2 cases. 14 cases (70%) had diffuse involvement, 6 cases had localized involvement. MRI was evocative in 3 patients out of 5; 2 patients underwent diagnostic arthroscopy. Diagnosis was based on anatomo-pathological examination. Treatment was based on subtotal synovectomy in 15 cases and on tumor excision in patients with localized involvement. 2 cases with osteocartilaginous destruction underwent arthroplasty. Patients' evolution was marked by 2 diffuse recurrences after a mean follow-up of 3-7 years. 3 patients had stiffness associated with quadriceps atrophy, therefore arthrolysis was performed. One case of histologically confirmed PVNS had proved to be a monophasic synovial sarcoma invading the bone 5 months after total synovectomy. Hence, the indication for amputation.

Arborescent lipoma is an unusual intra-articular lesion that typically develops in the knee and has to be evoked before chronic effusion. It corresponds to hyperplasia of mature fatty tissue and hypertrophy of synovial villi, developing within a joint. The reference treatment is synovectomy by arthrotomy. The rare forms localized to the anterior compartment of the knee can benefit from an arthroscopic synovectomy. The authors report a case of arborescent knee lipoma in a 47-year-old patient who received arthroscopic synoviectomy. To our knowledge, only a few cases of arborescent lipoma treated by arthroscopic synoviectomy have been reported in the literature.