Amyloid deposits in the knee joint at autopsy

Joint capsule, meniscus, and cartilage from the patella and medial femoral condyle from 30 non-selected autopsies have been investigated for amyloid deposits with light and electron microscopy. Both right and left knee joints from 28 of the 30 autopsy specimens contained amyloid deposits (93%). The amyloid characteristically showed green dichroism in polarised light after staining with alkaline Congo red. The ultrastructural features were also characteristic of amyloid. Amyloid in capsule tissue was found in a subsynovial location, as well as deeper in the capsule tissue, while in the cartilage amyloid was localised along the surface. The meniscus tissue, in particular, contained heavy deposits of amyloid--mainly along the inner margin. Osteoarthritic changes, with fibrillation of the cartilage, were significantly related to amyloid deposition. No pathogenetic correlation between the osteoarthritic changes and amyloid deposition could be shown in the present investigation.