Acute monoarthritis associated with positively birefringent maltese cross appearing lipid spherules in a hyperlipidemic diabetic patient.
10.3349/ymj.1997.38.4.236
- Author:
Yong Beom PARK
1
;
Soo Kon LEE
;
Chang Ho SONG
;
Won Ki LEE
;
Chan Hee LEE
;
Jisoo LEE
Author Information
1. Department of Internal Medicine, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea.
- Publication Type:Case Reports
- Keywords:
Positively birefringent lipid spherule;
hyperlipidemia;
arthritis
- MeSH:
Acute Disease;
Arthritis/metabolism*;
Arthritis/complications*;
Birefringence;
Case Report;
Crystallization;
Diabetes Mellitus/blood*;
Human;
Hyperlipidemia/complications*;
Lipids/metabolism*;
Male;
Middle Age;
Synovial Fluid/metabolism*
- From:Yonsei Medical Journal
1997;38(4):236-239
- CountryRepublic of Korea
- Language:English
-
Abstract:
A 63-year old man developed acute monoarthritis in the dorsum of the left foot. Polarized light microscopy of the synovial fluid from his third metatarsophalangeal joint revealed numerous positively birefringent lipid spherules with a maltese cross appearance. Positively birefringent lipid spherules can be found in association with acute, otherwise unexplained arthritis, and may induce synovial inflammation similar to that seen in other types of crystal-induced arthritis. We report a case of acute monoarthritis in which large numbers of positively birefringent lipid spherules were present in a hyperlipidemic diabetic patient.
