The treatment of pigmented villonodular synovitis of the hip. A case report and literature review.

Pigmented villonodular synovitis (PVS) is a rare occurrence in the hip joint. A 33-year-old female with PVS of the right hip was successfully treated by synovectomy and total hip arthroplasty. The literature includes 64 cases of PVS involving the hip, with an average patient age of 34.8 years. Multiple methods of initial treatment were encountered including synovectomy alone, synovectomy and total hip arthroplasty, radiation therapy, and arthrodesis. Synovectomy is only effective when articular cartilage is preserved. Total hip arthroplasty, although of concern in such a young population, appears to be the procedure of choice for either advanced cases of PVS or those that have failed joint-sparing procedures.