[Are pathohistological studies helpful in the clinical differential diagnosis of chronic arthritis?].

We have evaluated the diagnostic and therapeutic consequences of histopathological examinations of knee synovium from 216 patients with chronic arthropathies. We were able to differentiate between non-rheumatic etiologies, such as tuberculous arthritis, villonodular synovitis, crystal arthropathies and chondromatosis. This resulted in the establishment of a diagnosis and often a guide to therapy as well. It is rarely possible however to conclusively differentiate among the different inflammatory rheumatic diseases or osteo-arthroses by the histopathology of the joint lesions seen.