Tuberculous Synovitis of the knee with a discharging sinus

Extra pulmonary manifestations of tuberculosis are reported in less than one in five cases with the knee affected in 8% after the spine and hip. We report a case of tuberculous synovitis of the knee joint with a discharging sinus in a 40 year old female. The diagnosis was made by Ziehl - Neelson stain of the caseating discharge from the sinus, positive Mantoux test and radiological findings. The X-ray chest was normal. The patient responded well to anti-tuberculous treatment.