Pigmented villonodular synovitis of the elbow.

Pigmented villonodular synovitis (PVNS) is a monoarticular condition with a variable prognosis. The first account of it was given by Chassaignac in 1852. The condition was given its name by Jaffe in 1941. In separate studies Miller in 1982 and Flandry et al. in 1994 determined the overall incidence of PVNS varied between 1 and 3 per 1,000,000. The joint most commonly involved is the knee, and according to Dorwart et al. the elbow is rarely affected. Seventeen other cases of PVNS of the elbow have been reported, and very scant information exists about optimal treatment or outcome.