Basic calcium phosphate and pyrophosphate crystals in early and late osteoarthritis: relationship with clinical indices and inflammation.

The current study aimed to investigate the association of calcium pyrophosphate (CPP) and basic calcium phosphate (BCP) crystals in synovial fluid (SF) of patients with osteoarthritis (OA) with disease severity, clinical symptoms, and synovial inflammation. One-hundred-and-ten patients with knee OA completed the Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Arthritis Index (WOMAC) self-assessment questionnaire, the Lequesne algofunctional index survey, and the visual analogic scale forms; they also underwent power Doppler ultrasonography (PDUS) to assess synovial inflammation. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) was used to detect SF crystals.

Detection of Calcium Crystals in Knee Osteoarthritis Synovial Fluid: A Comparison Between Polarized Light and Scanning Electron Microscopy.

Background: The identification of calcium crystals in synovial fluid (SF) of patients with osteoarthritis (OA) represents an important step in understanding the role of these crystals in synovial inflammation and disease progression.

Objectives: This study aimed to investigate the presence of calcium pyrophosphate (CPP) and basic calcium phosphate (BCP) crystals in SF collected from patients with symptomatic knee OA by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) coupled to x-ray energy dispersive spectroscopy, compensated polarized light microscopy (CPLM), and alizarin red staining.

Methods: Seventy-four patients with knee OA were included in the study.

Evidence of silicon dioxide crystals in synovial fluid of patients with osteoarthritis.

Objective: Synovial fluid (SF) may contain a number of crystals that optical microscopy is unable to identify with certainty. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) was utilized in this study to characterize SF crystals in the context of knee osteoarthritis (OA).

Methods: SF was collected from the knees of 25 patients with OA and examined under optical light microscopy.