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. 2016 May;11(5):3543-3545.
doi: 10.3892/ol.2016.4419. Epub 2016 Apr 7.

Arthroscopic excision of giant cell tumor of the tendon sheath in the knee mimicking patellar tendinopathy: A case report

Kai Gao  1 , Jiwu Chen  1 , Shiyi Chen  1 , Yunxia Li  1
Affiliations

Arthroscopic excision of giant cell tumor of the tendon sheath in the knee mimicking patellar tendinopathy: A case report

Kai Gao et al. Oncol Lett. 2016 May.

Abstract

Giant cell tumor of the tendon sheath (GCTTS) predominantly occurs in the tendon sheaths of the hand, but rarely in those of the knee. The current study reports the case of a 36-year-old male patient presenting with anterior knee pain. The patient was ultimately diagnosed with GCTTS in the knee mimicking patellar tendinopathy. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first case of its kind. Magnetic resonance imaging revealed a well-defined oval intra-articular lesion located at the proximal segment of the infrapatellar fat pad. The lesion was completely excised under arthroscopy and pathological examination confirmed the diagnosis of GCTTS. There was no evidence of recurrence at the 2-year follow-up examination. The findings of the present study suggest that, despite its rarity, GCTTS should be considered in the differential diagnosis of patellar tendinopathy.

Keywords: arthroscopy; giant cell tumor of the tendon sheath; knee; patellar tendon; tendinopathy.

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Figures

Figure 1.
Figure 1.
(A) Low signal intensity T1-weighted and (B) high signal intensity T2-weighted sagittal magnetic resonance imaging scans revealing an oval giant-cell tumor of the tendon sheath located at the proximal segment of the infrapatellar fat pad.
Figure 2.
Figure 2.
(A) Preoperative arthroscopic image of the right knee showing that the giant cell tumor of the tendon sheath (GCTTS) was laterally adjacent to the distal patellar. (B) Postoperative arthroscopic image of the right knee, following complete removal of the tumor. (C) Histology of the GCTTS (hematoxylin and eosin staining; original magnification, ×400).
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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