Efficacy of hip arthroscopy in the diagnosis and treatment of synovial osteochondromatosis : a case report and literature review

Here we report a rare case of synovial osteochondromatosis of the hip and provide a brief review of the literature. A 37-year-old woman was referred to our department with a 3-year history of right hip pain. At initial consultation, she complained of pain upon standing and when sitting down, occasional pain at rest and nocturnal pain in the right hip, and worsening of the pain at premenstruum. The range of motion of the affected hip was totally limited by pain. Plain radiography revealed a slightly calcified (or ossified) lesion at the acetabular fossa of the right hip. Computed tomography showed clusters of loose bodies filling the acetabular fossa. Synovial osteochondromatosis was suspected and she underwent hip arthroscopic surgery. Complete resection was performed using the lateral and anterior portals. Postoperatively, her symptoms disappeared entirely and she was discharged 4 days after surgery. The patient regained full range of motion of the right hip and follow-up CT revealed no remaining loose bodies in the right hip. Hip arthroscopy is considered to be effective for the diagnosis and treatment of synovial osteochondromatosis of the hip and is minimally invasive.