Synovial chondromatosis
Disease Information
Overview
"While a diagnosis of synovial chondromatosis can be alarming, rest assured that it's a very treatable condition. The vast majority of children are cured after one or more surgeries."
Over time, your child’s joints naturally grow and change. However, throughout this process, problems can sometimes occur. Synovial chondromatosis is one such example: It’s a benign (non-cancerous) tumor that affects the synovial membrane, a thin layer of tissue that protects certain joints in the body. It causes the lining of a joint to produce small pieces of cartilage that become loose, and sometimes these pieces of cartilage can turn into bone.
Hearing the diagnosis of a tumor can be frightening and overwhelming, and your list of questions may seem endless. It may comfort you to know that the condition tends to be non-aggressive, and sometimes goes away on its own. An important first step in understanding what lies ahead is familiarizing yourself with the basics about the condition.
Synovial chondromatosis usually occurs in the knee, but can arise in any joint in the body.
Synovial chondromatosis can limit a child’s activity and lead to joint damage.
The condition tends to be non-aggressive, and sometimes goes away on its own.
However, some children need one or more surgeries to remove the abnormal tissue.
The cause is unknown but it’s been linked with trauma and infection.
It’s most common in adults between ages 20 to 50.
The detailed information on the following pages will help you gain a better understanding of synovial chondromatosis and a clearer picture of what to expect.
How Children’s Hospital Boston approaches synovial chondromatosis?
Experts in our Bone & Soft Tissue Tumor Program are devoted to caring for children and teenagers with synovial chondromatosis and other bone and soft tissue disorders.
Our multidisciplinary approach to care ensures in-depth discussion of each case and personalized treatment plans for every patient. We integrate expertise from the following specialists:
- pediatric orthopedic surgeons
- pediatric experts from every medical subspecialty, such as orthopedics, pathology, physical therapy and radiology, among others
- experienced pediatric nurses
- Child Life specialists, psychologists, social workers and resource specialists who provide supportive care before, during and after treatment
| Bone & Soft Tissue Tumors Program |
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| Learn more about our Bone & Soft Tissue Tumors Program, where we care for children with benign and malignant bone and soft tissue conditions. |
Reviewed by Megan Anderson, MD
?© Children’s Hospital Boston; posted in 2011
