[Familial articular chondrocalcinosis]

Articular chondrocalcinosis is a well-defined radiological entity with or without clinical manifestations. A familial form was described by Sitaj and Zitnan in 1957. Attention has mostly been paid to chondrocalcinosis associated with metabolic diseases and to "sporadic" chondrocalcinosis, usually due to ageing of the joint. Familial chondrocalcinosis, of which more and more cases are reported, is increasingly under study and is used as a model for pathogenic research. It already appears that familial chondrocalcinosis, of dominant autosomal transmission, is a new metabolic disease.