Rice bodies formation is a special pathological change of a series of chronic diseases. In 1895, Riese first reported the presence of rice granulosa structure in tuberculous arthritis. Since then, the existence of mitochondrial structure in rheumatoid arthritis, juvenile arthritis, seronegative arthritis, osteoarthritis and chronic bursitis has been reported at home and abroad, mostly in case reports. The mechanism of rice granulosa formation is still unclear, and the specific treatment methods are also different. Here, we discuss the clinical significance of a typical case of chronic mitochondrial tenosynovitis treated in clinic and review the literature.