Synovial cells. A study of the morphology and an examination of protein synthesis of synovial cells.

Because of the infrequency with which fluid is withdrawn from normal joints, most descriptions of the morphology of normal synovial fluid cells are based upon examination of the small quantity of fluid obtained either at autopsy (Ropes and Bauer, 1953) or from patients with non-articular disease following prolonged rest in bed (Coggeshall, Warren, and Bauer, 1940). The cells present have been reported to consist predominantly of monocytes and "clasmatocytes" with small numbers of lymphocytes and only occasional polymorphonuclear leucocytes. Certain other cells, regarded as the actual synovial cells and originating from the joint lining, were extremely few in number (Davies, 1964). Ropes and Bauer (1953) reported an average differential count for normal synovial fluid as: