Tenosynovial giant cell tumor (TGCT) is a relatively rare disease often misdiagnosed as osteoarthritis. Synovectomy or arthroplasty is the recommended treatment option, but recurrence is common after surgery. This study aimed to determine the prognosis of patients with advanced TGCT that was diagnosed incidentally during total knee arthroplasty (TKA) for osteoarthritis and treated by synovectomy.
From January 2008 to July 2011, TGCT was diagnosed incidentally in 10 patients (a total of 11 individual knees) undergoing posterior-stabilized TKA for an initial diagnosis of osteoarthritis. TGCT was confirmed by histopathology of biopsy specimens. Partial synovectomy was performed for localized-type TGCT (3 knees, 3 patients) and total synovectomy for diffuse-type TGCT (8 knees, 7 patients).
All patients were female with a mean age of 61.7 ± 6.6 (range 50-70) years. No postoperative infection, nerve injury, or deep venous thrombosis occurred. All patients were followed up for a mean period of 60.9 ± 6.6 (39-83) months, and no recurrence of TGCT occurred. X-ray imaging showed no apparent radiolucent lines around the prosthesis, and no prosthetic loosening, subsidence, or osteolysis. The joints were stable, with a significantly improved range of motion following surgery (109.5° ± 8.8° vs 80.5° ± 16.8°, P < .01). The Knee Society scores for knee joint (90.0 ± 4.1 vs 40.5 ± 8.1) and knee function (81.8 ± 7.5 vs 35.0 ± 13.8) were both significantly improved after surgery (P < .01).
Inactive TGCT could not be diagnosed preoperatively. TKA combined with synovectomy is effective in the treatment of advanced TGCT with degenerative lesions.