• The Korean Journal of Pain
• /
• v.28 no.4
• /
• pp.275-279
• /
• 2015

Facet joint synovial cysts are usually associated with osteoarthritis of the adjacent facet joint and/or spondylolisthesis. In between the conservative and operative ends of the treatment spectrum lie minimally invasive techniques such as cyst rupture using epiduroscopy. In this report, we describe an 82-year-old male patient presenting with low back pain radiating to his lower left extremity and associated paresthesia. Magnetic resonance imaging of the lumbar spine revealed a synovial cyst at left L4/5 facet joint. Using epiduroscopy, the cyst was mechanically ruptured by popping it with the tip of the scope. The patient remained symptom-free at his successive visits until 12 months after the procedure, and was opened for desired follow up.

• The Korean Journal of Pain
• /
• v.18 no.2
• /
• pp.246-250
• /
• 2005

Facet joint synovial cysts are uncommon intraspinal abnormalities, which appear to be secondary to degenerative changes of the joints. They can cause chronic back pain and radiculopathy, as shown in spinal stenosis. When symptomatic cysts fail to respond to conservative measurements, surgical decompression is known as the standard treatment. Percutaneous steroid injections, and distension of the cysts under fluoroscopic guidance, may be a minimally invasive treatment option. Here, the case of a patient with a symptomatic L5-S1 facet joint synovial cyst and left S1 radiculopathy, who responded satisfactorily to percutaneous treatment, is presented.

• Journal of the Korean Arthroscopy Society
• /
• v.13 no.3
• /
• pp.272-275
• /
• 2009

Extraarticular synovial chondromatosis is a very rare disease which affects the hands, feet, and wrists most commonly. In cases of involvement around large joints, the tissues around knee are usually involved. It arises from tendon sheath, capsular tissue and bursae. It is an idiopathic process in which the synovial cells undergo the metaplasia into cartilage cells. Chondroid matrix of the cartilaginous nodules calcify and ossify to be the osteochondroma. On simple radiograms before calcification and/or ossification of the chondroid tissues the cartilaginous nodules look normal on radiograms. Therefore MRI is needed to establish the diagnosis. We report a case of extraarticular pan-peri-meniscal synovial chondroma around right knee, initially suspected as a ganglion cyst which clinically mimicked a large rounded lesion or a cystic lesion on MRI.

• Journal of Korean Neurosurgical Society
• /
• v.53 no.5
• /
• pp.309-311
• /
• 2013

Ganglion cysts usually arise from the tissues around the facet joints. It is usually associated with degenerative cahanges in facet joints. Bilateral thoracic ganglion cysts are very rare and there is no previous case that located in bilateral intervertebral foramen compressing the L1 nerve root associated with severe radiculopathy. We report a 53 years old woman who presented with bilateral groin pain and severe numbness. Magnetic resonance imaging revealed bilateral cystic mass in the intervertebral foramen between 12th thoracal and 1st lumbar vertebrae. The cystic lesions were removed after bilateral exposure of Th12-L1 foramens. The result of hystopathology confirmed the diagnosis as ganglion cyst. The ganglion cyst may compromise lumbar dorsal ganglion when it located in the intervertebral foramen. The surgeon should keep this rare entity in their mind for differential diagnosis.

• Journal of Korean Neurosurgical Society
• /
• v.47 no.4
• /
• pp.298-301
• /
• 2010

Degenerated conditions such as herniated disc or spinal stenosis are common etiologies of lumbar radiculopathy. Less common etiologies include spinal extradural cyst such as synovial cysts and ganglion cysts. Ganglion cyst of the posterior longitudinal ligament (PLL) of the spine is a rare entity that can result in classical sciatica. Posterior longitudinal ligament cyst has no continuity with the facet joint and has no epithelial lining. Two young male patients presented with unilateral sciatica and were found to have intraspinal cystic lesions causing lumbar radiculopathy. Magnetic resonance imaging demonstrated rounded, cystic lesions (i.e., hypointense on T1-but hyperintense on T2-weighted images) adjacent to minimally dehydrated, nonherniated disc spaces in both cases. These patients underwent posterior decompression and cysts were excised, and their sciatic symptoms were completely resolved. Histological examination showed typical features of ganglion cysts in these cases.

• Journal of Korean Neurosurgical Society
• /
• v.29 no.4
• /
• pp.543-549
• /
• 2000

Objective : In contrary to ganglion cyst that commonly develops in connective tissue of peripheral joint or tendon, spinal ganglion cysts have been rarely reported. The authors report five cases of spinal ganglion cysts which originated from posterior longitudinal ligament of the lumbar spine. Methods : The authors retrospectively analyzed clinical, radiological, and surgical findings of five cases of spinal ganglion cysts and speculated the pathogenesis of spinal ganglion cyst. Result : Cysts were excised totally and symptoms improved without complications in all cases. Intraoperative findings revealed cysts that were tightly adherent to posterior longitudinal ligament. Conclusion : Five cases of ganglion cyst which caused similar symptoms and signs those of lumbar disc herniations were excised successfully. MRI and operative findings suggested spinal ganglion cyst of posterior longitudinal ligament were closely associated with disc degeneration which imply disc degeneration or herniation may play an important role in the pathogenesis of ganglion cyst.

• Archives of Craniofacial Surgery
• /
• v.15 no.1
• /
• pp.40-42
• /
• 2014

Ganglion cysts are most common on the dorsum of the hand or wrist, but they can occur in any part of the body. There have been few papers reporting ganglion cysts originating from the sternoclavicular joint, with most of these cases developing in children. A 76-year-old woman was referred to our department because of a painless mass over the right sternoclavicular joint. The mass was excised along with the portion of the sternoclavicular joint capsule surrounding the stalk. Histopathologic examination showed the cyst wall to be composed of compressed collagen fibers without evidence of an epithelial or synovial lining, which was consistent with ganglion cyst. To our knowledge, this is the first report of such a cyst in an adult. We consider this to be a useful report for surgeons that treat mass lesions occurring in almost any part of the body surface.

• Parasites, Hosts and Diseases
• /
• v.55 no.4
• /
• pp.429-431
• /
• 2017

Hydatid cyst is usually located in the liver and lungs, rare cases showing localization in other organs or tissues. In the unusual location, echinococcosis is an excluding diagnosis that is established only after microscopic evaluation. Our first case occurred in a 67-year-old female previously diagnosed with pulmonary tuberculosis and hospitalized with persistent pain in the hip joint. The clinical diagnosis was tuberculosis of the joint, but the presence of the specific acellular membrane indicated a hydatid cyst of the synovial membrane, without bone involvement. Fewer than 25 cases of joint hydatidosis have been reported in literature to date. In the second case, the intramural hydatid cyst was incidentally discovered at autopsy, in the left heart ventricle of a 52-year-old male hospitalized for a fatal brain hemorrhage, as a result of rupture of an anterior communicating artery aneurysm. The conclusion of our paper is that echinococcosis should be taken into account for the differential diagnosis of cystic lesions, independently from their location.

• The Korean Journal of Pain
• /
• v.37 no.1
• /
• pp.3-12
• /
• 2024

One of the most common sources of spinal pain syndromes is the facet joints. Cervical, thoracic, and lumbar facet joint pain syndromes comprise 55%, 42%, and 31% of chronic spinal pain syndromes, respectively. Common facet joint disorders are degenerative disorders, such as osteoarthritis, hypertrophied superior articular process, and facet joint cysts; septic arthritis; systemic and metabolic disorders, such as ankylosing spondylitis or gout; and traumatic dislocations. The facet pain syndrome from osteoarthritis is suspected from a patient's history (referred pain pattern) and physical examination (tenderness). Other facet joint disorders may cause radicular pain if mass effect from a facet joint cyst, hypertrophied superior articular process, or tumors compress the dorsal root ganglion. However, a high degree of morphological change does not always provoke pain. The superiority of innervating nerve block or direct joint injection for diagnosis and treatment is still a controversy. Treatment includes facet joint injection in facet joint osteoarthritis or whiplash injury provoking referred pain or decompression in mass effect in cases of hypertrophied superior articular process or facet joint cyst eliciting radicular pain. In addition, septic arthritis is treated using a proper antibiotic, based on infected tissue or blood culture. This review describes the diagnosis and treatment of common facet joint disorders.

• Journal of Korean Dental Science
• /
• v.13 no.1
• /
• pp.21-27
• /
• 2020

Purpose: The aim of this study was to investigate the types and frequency of the various incidental findings (IFs) on magnetic resonance images (MRI) taken from the patients with temporomandibular disorder (TMD) symptoms. Materials and Methods: Temporomandibular joint (TMJ) MRI taken from 1,013 patients with TMD symptoms were evaluated retrospectively. IF was defined as imaging features that were accidentally or unexpectedly found, rather than degenerative bony changes of TMJ complex or disc derangement. They were classified into two groups as TMJ site-specific findings and unexpected findings at other regions. The frequency of the sub groups was analyzed. Result: A total of 26 (2.57%) cases with IFs were classified into 13 cases with TMJ site-specific findings and 13 cases with unexpected findings at other region. TMJ site-specific findings included synovial chondromatosis in 6 cases, synovial cyst in 6 cases and osteochondroma in one case. Unexpected findings included salivary gland tumor in 3 cases, developmental cyst in 3 cases, vascular malformation in 2 cases, mastoiditis in 4 cases and sialadenitis on parotid gland in one case. Conclusion: When diagnosing TMD through TMJ MRI, clinicians should carefully read the image, considering the possibility of IFs because TMJ MRI can provide pathologic information in TMJ region and other oral and maxillofacial region.