[Painful tumour at the knee joint: case report and review of the literature]

Glomangiomas are perivascular tumours which, on the whole, are rare. They are most frequently located subungually on the fingers and toes. Diagnosis is difficult when they are atypically located at the knee joint. This may frequently result in a course of disease extending over many years.The case of a 75-year-old male patient with a tumour which had existed for two years, located at the knee joint, is reported.Symptomatology, diagnostics, histology and therapy are presented and discussed in the context of the currently available literature relevant to this disease. In the case presented here, following removal of the tumour, the patient remained free of complaints and did not suffer a relapse.Glomangiomas exhibit local, invasive growth, metastases have not been reported. The clinical picture is characterised by the classical trilogy of sensitivity to pain, pressure and temperature. In cases associated with the knee joint, misdiagnoses such as meniscus lesions or degenerative changes, are frequently made. Diagnostic procedures include sonography and magnetic resonance investigations. A resection of the tumour should be carried out well into the healthy tissue, as local relapse is a frequent occurrence in this disease.