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Review
. 2022 Jul;14(1 Suppl):5-15.
doi: 10.1177/1758573220977205. Epub 2020 Dec 6.

Arthroscopic management of synovial chondromatosis of the shoulder: a systematic review of literature

J Patrick Park  1 , Yousef Marwan  1 , Saud M Alfayez  1 , Mark L Burman  1 , Paul A Martineau  1
Affiliations
Review

Arthroscopic management of synovial chondromatosis of the shoulder: a systematic review of literature

J Patrick Park et al. Shoulder Elbow. 2022 Jul.

Abstract

Background: Synovial chondromatosis (SC) of the shoulder is rare, with limited literature on its management. This systematic review of literature aimed to characterize common arthroscopic techniques for the treatment of shoulder SC and patient outcomes. We hypothesized that arthroscopy is an effective operative modality for the management of shoulder SC.

Methods: PubMed and Embase databases were searched for articles on arthroscopic management of shoulder SC, published before 6 August 2020. All articles meeting inclusion criteria received an independent full-text review by two authors.

Results: An initial search found 64 articles. Following duplicate removal and title, abstract, and full-text reviews, 27 articles (48 patients) remained eligible. The mean age of patients was 33.0 years, with 2:1 male-to-female ratio. The mean follow-up was 41.8 months. SC was found to affect various intra- and extra-articular locations of the shoulder. Overall, arthroscopic treatment of shoulder SC was successful in 70.8%. Treatment failure was common in SC involving the bicipital tendon sheath. Disease recurrence was seen in 14.7%.

Conclusion: Literature on arthroscopic management of shoulder SC is limited, and significant heterogeneity in arthroscopic techniques was observed. Although arthroscopic management of shoulder SC is effective, further optimization is necessary to minimize treatment failure and disease recurrence.

Keywords: Synovial chondromatosis; arthroscopic; arthroscopy; management; shoulder.

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Conflict of interest statement

Declaration of Conflicting Interests: The author(s) declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.

Figures

Figure 1.
Figure 1.
Flowchart of the article screening process and studies included in the systematic review.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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