Arthroscopic treatment of intra-artricularly localised pigmented villonodular synovitis of the ankle: 4 cases with long-term follow-up

Background context: Pigmented villonodular synovitis (PVNS) is a rare, locally aggressive benign proliferative pathology of synovial tissue. Lesions are classified regarding location as diffuse or localised which are same as histologically. Intra-articularly localised type is relatively rare, especially in the ankle joint. Because of the high recurrence rate and aggressive nature, localised lesions should be excised totally. Purpose: We performed a retrospective study of 4 patients with intra-articularly localised PVNS in the ankle joint who were treated by total arthroscopic excision and evaluated for functional results and recurrence rate. Study design: Case series. Patient sample: The mean age of the patients was 27 (17-46) years at the time of arthroscopic surgery. The mean follow-up time was 33 (24-48) months. Methods: Functional evaluation according to the Musculoskeletal Tumour Society Score was performed, and patients were evaluated for recurrence by MR imaging. Results: In all patients, functional results were excellent and there was no recurrence. Conclusions: This study demonstrates that the intra-articularly localised PVNS can be successfully treated with arthroscopic procedures without recurrence. (C) 2017 Published by Elsevier Ltd on behalf of European Foot and Ankle Society.