Abstract
We present two female patients, aged 15 and 45 years, with synovial metaplasia of the skin. Both lesions, localized in the knee and hand respectively, arose after preceding local trauma. Case 1 had intradermal irregular cystic spaces in the adjacent myxoid stroma of which large polygonal eosinophilic cells were found. In contrast, case 2 was characterized by a longitudinal space within the lower dermis and subcutis which was lined by a membrane similar to hyperplastic synovium. The cells of the membrane showed an eosinophilic spindle shaped cytoplasm with processes towards the lumen. In both cases the eosinophilic cells, strongly suggestive of fibroblasts, showed staining for vimentin only, whereas no reactivity could be obtained with antibodies to actin, desmin, S-100 protein, Factor VIII related antigen, cytokeratin, epithelial membrane antigen, carcinoembryonic antigen and CD 68. The absence of CD 68 positivity differs from that seen in normal and hyperplastic synovium. Delayed wound healing around a nidus seems the most likely cause of the change.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Apte SS, Athanasou NA (1992) An immunohistological study of cartilage and synovium in primary synovial chondromatosis. J Pathol 166:277–281
Athanasou NA, Quinn J, Heryet A, Puddle B, Woods CG, McGee JO'D (1988) The immunohistology of synovial lining cells in normal and inflamed synovium. J Pathol 155:133–142
Bhawan J, Dayal Y, Gonzalez-Serva A, Eisen R (1990) Cutaneous metaplastic synovial cyst. J Cutan Pathol 17:22–26
Edwards JCW, Sedgwick AD, Willoughby DA (1981) The formation of a structure with the features of synovial lining by subcutaneous injection of air: an in vivo tissue culture system. J Pathol 134:147–156
Goldring SR, Schiller AL, Roelke M, Rourke CM, O'Neill DA, Harris WH (1983) The synovial-like membrane at the bonecement interface in loose total hip replacements and its proposed role in bone lysis. J Bone Joint Surg [A] 65:575–584
Gomez Dorronsoro ML, Martinez-Penuela JM, Ruiz de la Hermosa J (1988) Metaplastic synovial cyst (letter). Am J Surg Pathol 12:649–650
Gonzalez JG, Ghiselli RW, Santa Cruz DJ (1987) Synovial metaplasia of the skin. Am J Surg Pathol 11:343–350
Hunter JM, Jaeger SH, Matsui T, Miyaji N (1983) The pseudosynovial sheath: its characteristics in a primate model. J Hand Surg 8:461–470
Miettinen M, Virtanen I (1984) Synovial sarcoma-a misnomer. Am J Pathol 117:18–25
Stern DR, Sexton FM (1988) Metaplastic synovial cyst after partial excision of nevus sebaceus. Am J Dermatopathol 10:531–535
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Beham, A., Fletcher, C.D.M., Feichtinger, J. et al. Synovial metaplasia of the skin. Vichows Archiv A Pathol Anat 423, 315–318 (1993). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01606897
Received:
Revised:
Accepted:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01606897