The _treatment_ is directed towards the disease underlying the hydrops.
If it is desired to empty the joint, this is best done by open
incision.
[Illustration: FIG. 166.--Radiogram of Multiple Loose Bodies in
Knee-joint and Semi-membranosus Bursa in a man aet. 38.
(Mr. J. W. Dowden's case.)]
#Bodies composed of Organised Connective Tissue.#--These are
comparatively common in joints that are already the seat of some chronic
disease, such as arthritis deformans, Charcot's arthropathy, or synovial
tuberculosis. They take origin almost exclusively from an erratic
overgrowth of the fringes of the synovial membrane, and may consist
entirely of fat, the arborescent lipoma (Fig. 159) being the most
pronounced example of this variety. Fibrous tissue or cartilage may
form in one or more of the fatty fringes and give rise to hard nodular
masses, which may attain a considerable size, and in course of time may
undergo ossification.
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