Ganglion cyst | |
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Other names | Ganglia, synovial cyst, [1] Gideon's disease, Olamide's cyst, Bible cyst, Bible bump [2] |
Cyst on dorsum of left hand close to the wrist | |
Specialty | Plastic surgery, orthopedic surgery, hand surgery |
Symptoms | Small soft bump associated with a joint or tendon sheath [3] |
Complications | Only with operative treatment |
Usual onset | Any age |
Diagnostic method | Typically based on signs [4] |
Differential diagnosis | Lipoma, extensor tenosynovitis [4] |
Treatment | Watchful waiting, splinting the affected joint, needle aspiration, surgery [3] |
Prognosis | Not serious [3] |
Frequency | ~3 per 10,000 per year (wrist and hand) [5] |
A ganglion cyst is a fluid-filled bump associated with a joint or tendon sheath. [3] It most often occurs at the back of the wrist, followed by the front of the wrist. [3] [4]
The cause is unknown. [3] The underlying mechanism is believed to involve an outpouching of the synovial membrane. [4] Risk factors include gymnastics activity. [3] Diagnosis is typically based on examination with light shining through the lesion being supportive. [4] Medical imaging may be done to rule out other potential causes. [3] [4]
Treatment is not necessary. Options for treatment include needle aspiration or surgery. [3] About half the time, they resolve on their own. [4] About three per 10,000 people newly develop ganglion of the wrist or hand a year. [5]
The average size of these cysts is 2 centimetres (0.79 in), but excised cysts of more than 5 centimetres (2.0 in) have been reported. [6] The size of the cyst may vary over time. Between 50 and 70% of all masses on the hand and wrist are ganglion cysts. [7] [8]
They commonly are found near the wrist joint, especially at the scapholunate area. [9]
Common wrist ganglions include:
In a 2007 study of patients in Glasgow whose foot lumps were removed surgically, 39 of 101 cases were ganglion cysts. The study replicated earlier findings that no ganglion cysts were found on the sole or heel. The authors wrote, "Although lumps in these areas may be ganglia, the surgeon should probably consider other diagnoses in the first instance." The researchers noted a preponderance of occurrence among females (85%) and that 11 of the other cases had been misdiagnosed as ganglion cysts before surgery. [13]
Ganglion cysts are not limited to the hands and feet. They may occur near the knee, commonly near the cruciate ligaments, but they may occur at the origins of the gastrocnemius tendon, and anteriorly on Hoffa's infrapatellar fat pad. [14] At the shoulder, they typically occur at the acromioclavicular joint or along the biceps tendon. [15]
From their common origin at a joint or tendon, ganglion cysts may form in a wide range of locations. Rarely, intraosseous ganglion cysts occur, sometimes in combination with a cyst in the overlying soft tissue. [6] [16] Rare cases of intramuscular ganglion cysts in the gastrocnemius muscle of the calf have been reported. [17] [18] It is possible for a cyst to be considerably displaced from the joint. In one extreme case, a ganglion cyst was observed to propagate extensively via the conduit of the common peroneal nerve sheath to a location in the thigh; in such cases surgery to the proximal joint to remove the articular connection may remove the need for a riskier, more extensive surgery in the neural tissue of the thigh. [19] The cysts may intrude into the spine, which may cause pain and dysesthesia in distant extremities. [20]
Cystic adventitial disease, in which a cyst occurs within the popliteal artery near the knee, has been proposed recently to occur by an articular mechanism, with a conduit leading from the joint, similar to the development of ganglion cysts, that spreads within the peroneal nerve. [21]
Cysts that were compressing one or more nerves and causing bone erosions have been reported to occur near the shoulder joint. [22]
The most commonly accepted probable cause of ganglion cysts is the herniation hypothesis, by which they are thought to occur as an out-pouching or distention of a weakened portion of a joint capsule or tendon sheath. This description is based on the observations that the cysts occur close to tendons and joints. The microscopic anatomy of the cyst resembles that of tenosynovial tissue. The fluid is similar in composition to synovial fluid. Dye injected into the joint frequently ends up in the cyst. Dye injected into the cyst rarely enters the joint, however, which has been attributed to the apparent formation of an effective and one-way "check valve", allowing fluid out of the joint, but not back in. [6]
In synovials, post-traumatic degeneration of connective tissue and inflammation have been considered as causes. Other possible mechanisms for the development of ganglion cysts include repeated mechanical stress, facet arthrosis, myxoid degeneration of periarticular fibrous tissues and liquefaction with chronic damage, increased production of hyaluronic acid by fibroblasts, and a proliferation of mesenchymal cells. [20] [23]
Ganglion cysts are diagnosed easily, as they are visible and pliable to touch.
Ultrasonography (US) may be used to increase diagnostic confidence in clinically suspected lesions or to view smaller "occult" cysts as a cause of dorsal wrist pain with forceful extension.
At least 33% resolve without treatment within six years, and 50% within 10 years. [24]
Surgical excision is the primary discretionary, elective treatment option for ganglion cysts. Alternatively, a hypodermic needle may be used to drain the fluid from the cyst (via aspiration). [25] The recurrence rate is about 50% following aspiration of a ganglion cyst.
Complications of treatment may include joint stiffness and scar formation. [25] Recurrence of the lesion is more common following excision of a volar ganglion cyst in the wrist. Incomplete excision that fails to include the stalk or pedicle also may lead to recurrence, as will failing to execute a layered closure of the incision. [26]
Recurrence rate is higher in aspirated cysts than in excised ones. [27] Ganglion cysts have been found to recur following surgery in 12% [28] to 41% [29] of patients.
A six-year outcome study of the treatment of ganglion cysts on the dorsal wrist compared excision, aspiration, and no treatment. Neither excision nor aspiration provided long-term benefit better than no treatment. Of the untreated ganglion cysts, 58% resolved spontaneously; the postsurgery recurrence rate in this study was 39%. [30] A similar study in 2003 of ganglion cysts occurring on the palmar surface of the wrist states: "At 2- and 5-year follow-up, regardless of treatment, no difference in symptoms was found, regardless of whether the palmar wrist ganglion was excised, aspirated, or left alone." [31]
Being a misnomer that has persisted into modern times, [32] the ganglion cyst is unrelated to the neural "ganglion" or "ganglion cell"; its etymology traces back to the ancient Greek γάγγλιον, a "knot" or "swelling beneath the skin", [33] which extends to the neural masses by analogy. Generally, Hippocrates is credited with the description of these cysts. [6] [34]
The term "Bible cyst" (or "Bible bump") is derived from an urban legend or historical effort to hit the cyst with a Bible. [35] [36] Trying to treat the lesion by hitting it with a book, though, is discouraged. [4]
A historical method of treatment for a ganglion cyst was to strike the lump with a large and heavy book, causing the cyst to rupture and drain into the surrounding tissues. Historically, a Bible was the largest or only book in any given household, and was employed for this treatment. This led to the nickname of "Bible bumps" or "Gideon's disease" for these cysts. [2] [37] This treatment risks injuring the person and thus is not recommended. [38]
In human anatomy, the wrist is variously defined as (1) the carpus or carpal bones, the complex of eight bones forming the proximal skeletal segment of the hand; (2) the wrist joint or radiocarpal joint, the joint between the radius and the carpus and; (3) the anatomical region surrounding the carpus including the distal parts of the bones of the forearm and the proximal parts of the metacarpus or five metacarpal bones and the series of joints between these bones, thus referred to as wrist joints. This region also includes the carpal tunnel, the anatomical snuff box, bracelet lines, the flexor retinaculum, and the extensor retinaculum.
The lumbricals are intrinsic muscles of the hand that flex the metacarpophalangeal joints, and extend the interphalangeal joints.
Pilonidal disease is a type of skin infection which typically occurs as a cyst between the cheeks of the buttocks and often at the upper end. Symptoms may include pain, swelling, and redness. There may also be drainage of fluid, but rarely a fever.
The pisiform bone, also spelled pisiforme, is a small knobbly, sesamoid bone that is found in the wrist. It forms the ulnar border of the carpal tunnel.
A Baker's cyst, also known as a popliteal cyst, is a type of fluid collection behind the knee. Often there are no symptoms. If symptoms do occur these may include swelling and pain behind the knee, or knee stiffness. If the cyst breaks open, pain may significantly increase with swelling of the calf. Rarely complications such as deep vein thrombosis, peripheral neuropathy, ischemia, or compartment syndrome may occur.
Dupuytren's contracture is a condition in which one or more fingers become permanently bent in a flexed position. It is named after Guillaume Dupuytren, who first described the underlying mechanism of action, followed by the first successful operation in 1831 and publication of the results in The Lancet in 1834. It usually begins as small, hard nodules just under the skin of the palm, then worsens over time until the fingers can no longer be fully straightened. While typically not painful, some aching or itching may be present. The ring finger followed by the little and middle fingers are most commonly affected. It can affect one or both hands. The condition can interfere with activities such as preparing food, writing, putting the hand in a tight pocket, putting on gloves, or shaking hands.
A thyroglossal cyst is a fibrous cyst that forms from a persistent thyroglossal duct. Thyroglossal cysts can be defined as an irregular neck mass or a lump which develops from cells and tissues left over after the formation of the thyroid gland during developmental stages.
A Smith's fracture, is a fracture of the distal radius.
Plantar fascial fibromatosis, also known as Ledderhose's disease, Morbus Ledderhose, and plantar fibromatosis, is a relatively uncommon non-malignant thickening of the feet's deep connective tissue, or fascia. In the beginning, where nodules start growing in the fascia of the foot, the disease is minor. Over time, walking becomes painful. The disease is named after Georg Ledderhose, a German surgeon who described the condition for the first time in 1894. A similar disease is Dupuytren's disease, which affects the hand and causes bent hand or fingers.
The flexor retinaculum is a fibrous band on the palmar side of the hand near the wrist. It arches over the carpal bones of the hands, covering them and forming the carpal tunnel.
The deep transverse metacarpal ligament connects the palmar surfaces of metacarpophalangeal joints of all the fingers of the hand except the thumb.
The extensor retinaculum is a thickened portion of the antebrachial fascia that holds the tendons of the extensor muscles in place. It is located on the back of the forearm, just proximal to the hand. It is continuous with the palmar carpal ligament.
The triangular fibrocartilage complex (TFCC) is formed by the triangular fibrocartilage discus (TFC), the radioulnar ligaments (RULs) and the ulnocarpal ligaments (UCLs).
“Lateral periodontal cysts (LPCs) are defined as non-keratinised and non-inflammatory developmental cysts located adjacent or lateral to the root of a vital tooth.” LPCs are a rare form of jaw cysts, with the same histopathological characteristics as gingival cysts of adults (GCA). Hence LPCs are regarded as the intraosseous form of the extraosseous GCA. They are commonly found along the lateral periodontium or within the bone between the roots of vital teeth, around mandibular canines and premolars. Standish and Shafer reported the first well-documented case of LPCs in 1958, followed by Holder and Kunkel in the same year although it was called a periodontal cyst. Since then, there has been more than 270 well-documented cases of LPCs in literature.
Calcifying odontogenic cyst (COC) is a rare developmental lesion that comes from odontogenic epithelium. It is also known as a calcifying cystic odontogenic tumor, which is a proliferation of odontogenic epithelium and scattered nest of ghost cells and calcifications that may form the lining of a cyst, or present as a solid mass.
Extensor digitorum brevis manus is an extra or accessory muscle on the backside (dorsum) of the hand. It was first described by Albinus in 1758. The muscles lies in the fourth extensor compartment of the wrist, and is relatively rare. It has a prevalence of 4% in the general population according to a meta-analysis. This muscle is commonly misdiagnosed as a ganglion cyst, synovial nodule or cyst.
The hand is a very complex organ with multiple joints, different types of ligament, tendons and nerves. Hand disease injuries are common in society and can result from excessive use, degenerative disorders or trauma.
Carpal tunnel surgery, also called carpal tunnel release (CTR) and carpal tunnel decompression surgery, is a nerve decompression in which the transverse carpal ligament is divided. It is a surgical treatment for carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS) and recommended when there is constant (not just intermittent) numbness, muscle weakness, or atrophy, and when night-splinting no longer controls intermittent symptoms of pain in the carpal tunnel. In general, milder cases can be controlled for months to years, but severe cases are unrelenting symptomatically and are likely to result in surgical treatment. Approximately 500,000 surgical procedures are performed each year, and the economic impact of this condition is estimated to exceed $2 billion annually.
Trapeziometacarpal osteoarthritis (TMC OA) is, also known as osteoarthritis at the base of the thumb, thumb carpometacarpal osteoarthritis, basilar (or basal) joint arthritis, or as rhizarthrosis. This joint is formed by the trapezium bone of the wrist and the metacarpal bone of the thumb. This is one of the joints where most humans develop osteoarthritis with age. Osteoarthritis is age-related loss of the smooth surface of the bone where it moves against another bone (cartilage of the joint). In reaction to the loss of cartilage, the bones thicken at the joint surface, resulting in subchondral sclerosis. Also, bony outgrowths, called osteophytes (also known as “bone spurs”), are formed at the joint margins.
Wrist arthroscopy can be used to look inside the joint of the wrist. It is a minimally invasive technique which can be utilized for diagnostic purposes as well as for therapeutic interventions. Wrist arthroscopy has been used for diagnostic purposes since it was first introduced in 1979. However, it only became accepted as diagnostic tool around the mid-1980s. At that time, arthroscopy of the wrist was an innovative technique to determine whether a problem could be found in the wrist. A few years later, wrist arthroscopy could also be used as a therapeutic tool.
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