Vascularity / Detritus / Fibrosis

Vascularity Feature:

Numbers or density of small blood vessel in the synovial tissue. (Assessment can be compared to other regions of the synovium.)

Detritus Feature:

Small fragments of bone or cartilage embedded in the synovium, with or without a cellular reaction

Fibrosis Feature:

Collagen matrix that is not anatomically part of the capsule. (Look for bands of collagen replacing the synovial fatty tissue. Avoid capsular tissue.)

Magnification: 4 – 5x

Grading:

Vascularity

Increased vascularity can only really be appreciated by comparison with other regions in the section. Small vessels distributed in clusters impart a hypervascular appearance.

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Detritus

These small irregular particles of granular material represent debris generated within the joint and originate from bone (shown) and sometimes also articular cartilage (not shown).

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Fibrosis

Fibrosis appears as pink, fibrillary, collagenous material results in the focal, widespread, and band-like displacement of the synovial fat resulting in with obliteration of the overall architecture of the synovium.

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