[Synovial chondromatosis: a report of four cases with three diverse localizations]

Four patients with three diverse localizations of synovial chondromatosis are presented. Three were men and one was a woman (mean age 32 years; range 21 to 55 years). The site of involvement was the shoulder joint in two patients, and the ankle and hip joints in the remaining two. Pain and restricted joint movement were common complaints. Other clinical complaints included locking, crepitus, loss of muscle strength, instability, and feeling of a mass lesion. Plain roentgenograms showed multiple radiopaque nodules/loose bodies, with the female patient additionally having osteoporosis and bone erosion. The patients underwent arthrotomy followed by synovectomy and the loose bodies were removed. Diagnoses were confirmed by histologic examination. All the patients became asymptomatic following surgical treatment and no evidence of recurrent disease was detected.