What is Arthrosynovitis
Arthrosynovitis is an inflammation of the synovium, the membrane that covers the inside of the joints. The inflammatory process can however extend and also affect the surrounding tissues.
The joint most commonly affected by joint synovitis is the knee joint.
Causes
Arthrosynovitis can be caused by violent or minor trauma, but continuously repeated, by local or systemic bacterial infections (eg syphilis, tuberculosis), rheumatic diseases or metabolic diseases (example: gout).
Symptoms
The inflammatory process leads to various types of changes in the synovial membrane. When it is inflamed, the synovium produces an excess of fluid that fills the joint cavities, acquiring different aspects depending on the pathogen involved: serous (in the case of stimuli not caused by bacteria) or seropurulent or purulent (in the case of bacterial infection ).
In addition to the exudation of fluid, within the articular cavity, arthrosinovitis is associated with clinical signs such as pain, swelling (swelling) and limitation or blockage of joint movements.
The chronic evolution of arthrosynovitis can lead to thickening of the synovial membrane up to induce the formation of nodules, as in the case of villonodular pigmentosa synovitis .
Pigmentary villonodular synovitis in short
Villonodular pigmentosa synovitis (also called giant cell tumor of tendon sheaths ) is a rare disease characterized by benign proliferation of the synovial membrane. The hypotheses on the causes of origin are of various types: neoplastic, post-traumatic, dysmetabolic or genetic. The pathology shows pigmented synovial cells (yellowish-brown in color) and hyperplastic cells (the pathological process progressively induces the proliferation of the cells present in the articular site, with pseudo-tumoral modality).
The localized ( nodular ) form occurs with the onset of some nodules at the level of the synovium, while the diffuse ( villonodular ) form is characterized by the rather aggressive invasion of the articular cord, associated with the appearance of many nodular formations. The diagnosis is confirmed by biopsy and histological analysis. The therapy involves a surgical treatment for synovectomy (partial or total removal of the synovial membrane affected by pathology), arthroscopy or classical surgery, as the disease can have a recurrent character.
Diagnosis
Arthrosynovitis is diagnosed through history of symptoms, physical examination and, if necessary, imaging techniques (ultrasound, magnetic resonance) to investigate the presence of the typical clinical signs of the disease.
Treatment
Therapeutic management uses rest and may require immobilization of the affected joint. Drug therapy involves the administration of anti-inflammatories, analgesics and antibiotics.
Sometimes, local cortisone infiltration can be used and, if necessary, the liquid collection can be emptied by a small surgical procedure (arthrocentesis).
Chronic forms of arthrosynovitis may require partial or total excision of the synovial membrane (synoviectomy).
