Very Few cases of primary synovial chondromatosis of the elbow have been re
ported in the literature. This is a study concerning the late outcome of pr
imary synovial chondromatosis in the elbows of 12 patients, TO men and 2 wo
men, with a mean Follow-up of 16 years 10 months. The average age at the ti
me of the initial complaint was 29 years. The histories of 10 patients reve
aled elbow strain as a consequence of work-related activities. Surgery incl
uded removal of loose bodies and partial synovectomy in all patients. A mod
erate to severe osteoarthritis was found preoperatively in 5 of 12 patients
and during follow-up in 7 of 10 patients. The degree of osteoarthritis det
eriorated after surgery in 5 of these cases, depending on patient age, leng
th of presurgical history, length of follow-vp, and strenuous activities. H
owever, the functional deficiencies were usually moderate and had little si
gnificance with respect to the activities of daily living. No recurrence of
primary synovial chondromatosis was found.