Arthroscopic treatment of synovial chondromatosis of the shoulder joint: case report and review

Two cases (20 and 15 years old) of shoulder joint synovial chondromatosis were initially treated with arthroscopic debridement. One was further treated with a second arthroscopy and partial synovectomy (case 1); the second was fully treated by arthroscopic surgery (case 2). The postoperative control Xray revealed no loose body and the joint was normal. One of the cases (case 1) was affected by Degenerative Joint Disorders (DJD) according to X-ray and arthroscopic findings after treatment; physiotherapy was started as soon as possible. The use of arthroscopic surgery allowed the patients to return to normal activity much sooner than a formal open synovectomy. Additionally, the morbidity associated with arthroscopic techniques is much lower than that of an open procedure. Synovial chondromatosis is a condition resulting from intrasynovial formation of multiple metaplastic cartilaginous foci. When these foci are enlarged, they become pedunculated and are extruded into the joint as loose bodies. Subsequently, these loose bodies calcify and ossify and continue to grow because they are nourished by the synovial fluid that surrounds them. Although synovial chondromatosis can affect most joints, it very rarely affects the shoulder joint.