Summary
Giant synovial chondromatosis is a variant of synovial chondromatosis, where one or multiple chondromas enlarge to greater than 1 cm and may be as large as 20 cm.
Complete Information on this Tumor
When one or a multitude of synovial chondromas enlarge to significant size, they are termed giant synovial chondroma or giant synovial chondromatosis. The cause if these tumors is unknown. The tumor can be so large that it may be confused with a chondrosarcoma.
In the author's series, the tumor has been found as an incidental lesion in the ankle, a painful mass in the ankle or knee, or as a snapping sensation in the hip. Lesions have been reported in most large joints, including the elbow, shoulder, and the lower extremity. Some tumors in the author's series have been located in a tendon sheath outside the joint entirely, but not anatomically very far from a large joint.