Arthroscopic extraction of a stainless steel foreign body imbedded in the tibial plateau.

We present a case of foreign body synovitis in the knee joint caused by a fragment of stainless steel imbedded in the tibial plateau for 10 years, which was extracted successfully using an arthroscope. The cause of synovitis was the long-standing release of small stainless steel particles resulting from the abrasion of the steel against the opposing lateral femoral condyle. For an articular foreign body, arthroscopy is by far the best treatment. Arthroscopy allows the surgeon to localize as well as to extract even the smallest foreign body fragment, and also provides for washing out of the joint cavity.