The right knee is opened and shows the usual appearance of gouty arthritis. The soft tissues around the joint and the ligaments within are inflamed. The surfaces of the patella, femur and tibia show many white specks, which are deposits of sodium urate in the outer layers of the joint cartilage, forming the characteristic "guttae" (drops) from which the disease gets its name. In the centre of the femoral surface is an area where the cartilage has been eroded.