| Synovitis | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Chronic synovitis | |
| Specialty | Rheumatology |
Synovitis is the medical term forinflammation of thesynovial membrane. This membrane linesjoints that possess cavities, known assynovial joints. The condition is usually painful, particularly when the joint is moved. The joint usually swells due tosynovial fluid collection.
Synovitis may occur in association witharthritis as well aslupus,gout, and other conditions. Synovitis is more commonly found inrheumatoid arthritis than in other forms of arthritis, and can thus serve as a distinguishing factor, although it is also present in many joints affected withosteoarthritis.[1][2] Inrheumatoid arthritis, thefibroblast-like synoviocytes, highly specialized mesenchymal cells found in the synovial membrane, play an active and prominent role in the synovitis.[3] Long term occurrence of synovitis can result in degeneration of the joint.
Synovitis causes joint tenderness or pain, swelling and hard lumps, called nodules. When associated with rheumatoid arthritis, swelling is a better indicator than tenderness. The joints in your hands and fingers feel painful when pressed and when moving or gripping anything.
A rheumatologist will aim to diagnose the cause of the patient’s pain by first determining whether it is inside the joint itself, meaning true synovitis, or if it is actually caused by an inflammation of the tendons, referred to as tendonitis. Imaging, such as an MRI or musculoskeletal ultrasound is often required to make a firm diagnosis.
Synovitis symptoms can be treated withanti-inflammatory drugs such asNSAIDs. An injection of steroids may be done, directly into the affected joint. Injection of beta-emitting radioisotopes to locally treat synovitis has been performed in people for decades[4] and is now being applied usingtin-117m in veterinary medicine to treat canine elbow synovitis.[5] Specific treatment depends on the underlying cause of the synovitis.