The plica syndrome. A syndrome of controversy

A plica is a synovial fold inside the knee joint that may become symptomatic following trauma. The authors diagnosed and excised 20 symptomatic plicae; after a mean follow-up period of 20 months 13 patients were free of symptoms, while six were unchanged or worse. Plica syndrome is not common, and careful assessment must be made to exclude other causes of pathologic knee conditions. The treatment of choice consists of excision of the entire plica to prevent recurrence of the symptoms.