International Journal of Clinical & Medical Images

A 58 year old male presented to Orthopaedic outpatients with a several year history of intermittent knee locking. The patient’s medical history and family history were unremarkable. On examination he was found to have a small effusion, intermittent mechanical locking and a fixed flexion deformity of 10 degrees. The patient underwent knee radiographs which revealed multiple intra-articular, well circumscribed loose bodies. These are particularly apparent on the tunnel and lateral views and are consistent with the diagnosis of synovial chondromatosis. This benign condition arises due to metaplasia of the synovial membrane and results in the formation of multiple intra-articular cartilaginous bodies. The patient underwent treatment with arthroscopic removal of the loose bodies and partial synovectomy and remained asymptomatic at two years.