Clin Should Elbow.  2012 Dec;15(2):138-142.

Pigmented Villonodular Synovitis Mimiking the Bone Tumor of the Fossa Olecrani of Elbow in a 8-year-old Boy: A Case Report

• Kim SS
• Lee SY
• Yoon MG
• Seo YH
• Moon MS

Abstract

Pigmented villonodular synovitis (PVNS) is a rare benign proliferative disorder that results in villous hyperplasia and nodule formation in the synovium, tendon sheath and bursa. That most commonly affects the knee and the hip joint in adult. PVNS of the hand, the wrist, the shoulder and the elbow is rare and that of the elbow in children is particularly rarer. An eight-year-old boy had his left elbow pain and a lesion like benign bone tumor in the left fossa olecrani on plain x-ray. During the operation, abnormal synovial hyperplasia in his left elbow joint led us to diagnose PVNS. Therefore, open curettage of the lesion and radical synovectomy was performed. The specimen of the synovectomized tissue revealed PVNS. The left elbow pain subsided after the operation and the child restored a full range of motion of his left elbow. We reported this rare case of PVNS in a child's elbow joint mimicking the bone tumor together with a review of the literature.

MeSH Terms

Adult
Child
Curettage
Elbow
Elbow Joint
Hand
Hip Joint
Humans
Hyperplasia
Knee
Range of Motion, Articular
Shoulder
Synovial Membrane
Synovitis, Pigmented Villonodular
Tendons
Wrist