Granulomatous Tenosynovitis Due to Beryllium Histological and Spectrographic Analysis

A case of granulomatous tenosynovitis of the flexor tendon sheath of a finger following a cut by a broken fluorescent bulb has been presented. The histological and spectrographic evidence indicate that beryllium was the causative agent. (The process took at least five, and probably seven,years before clinical manifestations appeared.) If contamination of a synovial surface by beryllium is known to have occurred, the possibility that severe synovitis may develop should be borne in mind when considering the patient's prognosis. Great care should be exercised to prevent contamination of synovial surfaces during the treatment of wounds believed to be soiled with beryllium.