Tietze Syndrome

Tietze’s syndrome is a benign, self-limiting arthropathy most often involving the sternocostal, sternoclavicular, or costochondral joints.

The characteristic symptoms are tenderness, pain and oedema involving one of the affected joints on one side. Diagnosis of Tietze’s syndrome is based on physical examination (an increase of palpation tenderness in the affected joint), laboratory tests (an increase of inflammatory parameters) and imaging studies.  The MRI pattern of primary Tietze's syndrome has been characterized as follows: enlargement and thickening of cartilage at the site of complaint; focal or widespread increased signal intensities of affected cartilage; and in some cases; bone marrow oedema in the subchondral bone (Volterrani, 2008).

Infectious, rheumatologic, and neoplastic processes may cause it, although in most cases the aetiology remains unknown

Differential diagnosis of Tietze’s syndrome is based on the exclusion of costal cartilage inflammation, coronary syndrome and inflammatory changes in the lung and pleura.

Most commonly the treatment is conservative.

(Rokicki 2018)

Costochondritis is defined as inflammation of costochondral junctions of ribs or chondrosternal joints, usually at multiple levels and lacking swelling or induration. Pain is reproduced by palpation of the affected cartilage segments and may radiate on the chest wall.

(Proulx 2009)

Last modified
24 June 2023
Patient Organization

De Vereniging Tietze- en Chondritis patiënten is het platform voor Tietze en costochondritis.

Link naar de website 

Het syndroom van Tietze en costochondritis: beide aandoeningen zijn aan elkaar geliëerd en hebben te maken met een ontsteking van het ribkraakbeen. Bij Tietze beperkt...

Disease