Reachout Orthopedics - Issue 2

SUCCESSFUL ARTHROSCOPIC TREATMENT OF REFRACTORY AND COMPLICATED POPLITEAL CYST ASSOCIATED WITH RHEUMATOID ARTHRITIS IN COMBINATION WITH OSTEOARTHRITIS: CASE SERIES AND LITERATURE REVIEW Jae‑Hyuk Yang 1 , Hyuk‑Hee Kwon 2 , Jin Kyu Lee 3 , So Young Bang 2 Hye‑Soon Lee 2 Hye‑Soon Lee lhsberon@hanyang.ac.kr Jae‑Hyuk Yang jaekorea@gmail.com Hyuk‑Hee Kwon hhkwon41@gmail.com Jin Kyu Lee gaia‑silver@hanmail.net So Young Bang sybang@hanyang.ac.k 1  Department of Orthopedic Surgery, Hanyang University Guri Hospital, Guri, South Korea 2  Division of Rheumatology, Department of Internal Medicine, Hanyang University Guri Hospital, 153, Gyeongchunro, Guri, Gyeonggi‑do 11923, South Korea 3  Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Hanyang University Hospital, Seoul, South Korea R heumatoid arthritis (RA) is one of the most prevalent chronic inflammatory arthritis affecting approximately 1% of the population worldwide. It is characterized by inflammatory proliferation of the synovium of the joint, with subsequent destruction of the articular structure such as cartilage, bone, and adjacent ligaments and tendons [1–3]. Popliteal cysts are usually seen secondary to osteoarthritis (OA), RA, and less commonly trauma, infections, and other causes of inflammatory arthritis [4]. Several etiological mechanisms of popliteal cyst have been suggested: (1) enlargement of the gastrocnemius–semimembranosus bursa, which has communication with the joint, (2) rupture of the posterior articular capsule and its transformation to a cyst in a chronic course, and (3) herniation of the posterior articular capsule due to a chronic increase in the intra-articular pressure [5]. Fielding et al . [6], in their study using MRI, reported that popliteal cyst was seen in adult populations at a rate of 4%, with the rate being higher in the elderly population. Andonopoulos et al . [7] reported that popliteal cyst was detected in 47.5% of RA using ultrasonography, only 43.3% of which had been diagnosed clinically. Although cysts present as an asymptomatic Case Reports 23 Although popliteal cysts are most frequently identified in patients with osteoarthritis (OA), they may occur in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA), in which serious complicated cases such as cyst rupture can be developed. The objective of this study was to report four patients with RA (six knees) in combination with OA with a brief review of literature of previous similar published cases.