A 2-year-old neutered male bullmastiff dog was presented with chronic left hind limb lameness. Physical examination revealed left stifle effusion and medial buttress without cranial tibial thrust. Synoviocentesis and cytologic evaluation of synovial fluid revealed marked mononuclear inflammation with abundant fatty tissue, suggesting synovial lipomatosis in conjunction with the imaging findings. Although the etiology remains unclear, joint trauma, inflammation, instability, and lipid abnormalities have been proposed as causes. Inflammatory factors may promote synoviocyte and adipocyte hyperplasia that perpetuate the process. Here we underscore the potential effectiveness of cytologic analysis of synovial fluid smears, in combination with magnetic resonance imaging, for diagnosing this condition and reducing complications associated with arthrotomy for sampling purposes.

This research has recently been issued in Veterinary Clinical pathology, More information here: https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/share/9BQC4ZCVGVDUWEWMQMZW?target=10.1111/vcp.13330