What would you find in the synovial fluid of a patient with gout?

Gout is a crystal-induced arthritis caused by the deposition of monosodium urate (MSU) crystals in joints and soft tissues, resulting from hyperuricemia. Polarized light microscopy of synovial fluid reveals needle-shaped, negatively birefringent MSU crystals, which is the gold standard for diagnosing gout. These crystals trigger an acute inflammatory response by activating the NLRP3 inflammasome. The question originally also mentioned hepatitis, which is a separate condition and does not change the synovial fluid finding in gout.