[Significance of arthroscopy in the diagnosis of unilateral knee arthritis].
OBJECTIVE
To investigate the role of arthroscopy in the diagnosis of unilateral knee arthritis of unknown causes.


METHODS
During December 2005 to February 2008,74 patients of unilateral knee arthritis of unknown origins were treated with arthroscopy. And magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans were performed for all of them before knee arthroscopy. The diagnosis was made by the synovial appearance in gross examination in arthroscopy combined with synovial pathology, synovial fluid analysis and clinical manifestations.


RESULTS
Among these patients, 71 cases were definitely diagnosed and 3 cases had unknown causes. Thirty-nine cases (52.9%) were of rheumatoid arthritis (RA), 7 (9.5%) of seronegative spondyloarthropathy (SPA), 7 patients (9.5%) of septic arthritis, 6 patients (8.1%) of RA coexisting gout arthritis, 5 patients (6.5%) of gout arthritis, 5 patients (6.5%) of tuberculosis of knee joint, 1 patient (1.3%) of pigmented villonodular synovitis and 1 patient (1.3%) of multicentric reticulohistiocytosis.


CONCLUSIONS
Arthroscopy provides valuable diagnostic information in unilateral knee arthritis of unknown causes. RA is the major cause of unilateral knee arthritis of unknown causes. Synovial appearance in gross examination in arthroscopy, synovial pathology and crystals are helpful to make a diagnosis.
Chen
Guo-Qiang
GQ
Department of Rheumatology and Immunology, First People's Hospital of Foshan, Foshan 528000, China. cgqiang@fsyyy.com
Zhang
Hong-Wei
HW
Li
Zhi-Feng
ZF
Guo
Dong-Mei
DM
Yu
Yang-Tao
YT
D000368:Aged; D001168:Arthritis / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000209:etiology*; D001182:Arthroscopy; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male