Spherulite crystals in synovial tissue of a patient with recurrent monoarthritis

Frozen, unstained sections of synovial tissue of a 38-year-old man with recurrent monoarthritis and hyperuricemia were studied. Negatively birefringent crystals in a spherulite form were detected by using a compensated polarized light microscope. It is postulated that in some cases of gout the first stage of crystallization is in the spherulite form.