Arthroscopic Treatment of Intraosseous Ganglion Cyst of the Lunate Bone

Outcomes of Surgical Management of Intraosseous Ganglia of the Carpal Bones: A Case Series

BACKGROUND

Intraosseous ganglia of the carpal bones are uncommon with sparse publications to guide treatment. The purpose of this study was to review a single-institution experience to determine the outcomes of patients with surgically treated intraosseous carpal ganglia.

METHODS

Skeletally mature patients with intraosseous carpal ganglia between 1995 and 2016 treated operatively were identified. Demographic information, clinical data, and radiographic studies were evaluated.

RESULTS

Thirty-three ganglia in 31 patients were identified. Intraosseous ganglia were located in the lunate (23), scaphoid (9), and trapezoid (1). Patients who presented with pathologic fracture or collapse had larger intraosseus ganglia than those presenting with pain alone. Surgery significantly improved pain. Patients treated with debridement with autograft bone graft had a higher consolidation rate compared with allograft bone but no difference in pain.

CONCLUSIONS

Patients with large or symptomatic lesions can be treated successfully with curettage and debridement, which leads to relief of pain. The use of bone grafting remains controversial.

Arthroscopic Treatment of Intraosseous Ganglion Cysts of the Carpus

Objective

To investigate the application and the clinical efficacy of wrist arthroscopy in the treatment of carpal intraosseous ganglion cysts (IGCs).

Methods

A retrospective case study method was adopted to analyze the clinical data of 28 patients with carpal IGCs admitted to the Sixth Hospital of Ningbo from April 2012 to January 2019. A hypodensity in the bone was shown by X-ray before the operation, with hypodensity and cystic change in the bone being confirmed by computed tomography and magnetic resonance imaging. Arthroscopic open window of the wrist, cystectomy, and autologous iliac bone graft implantation were conducted. Regular postoperative X-ray combined with CT follow-ups were conducted to observe the healing after bone implantation. Patients were followed up regularly and assessed by the Modified Mayo Wrist Score in four aspects of the postoperative pain, wrist mobility, grip, and function to provide an objective overall assessment of the therapeutic outcome.

Results

All 28 patients were followed up for 8–16 months, with an average follow-up duration of 10 months. After the operation, pain disappeared completely for 25 patients, and 3 cases showed significant improvement. All cases were pathologically confirmed as ganglion cysts and had first-stage bony healing after bone grafting with an average healing time of 10.8 weeks. The grip returned to normal for all patients, and wrist flexion and extension were the same as the healthy wrist for 25 patients, with a Modified Mayo Wrist Score of excellent in 19 cases and good in 9 cases. No recurrence was observed.

Conclusion

In patients with symptomatic carpal IGCs, the application of arthroscopic open window, cystectomy, and autologous bone graft implantation could achieve satisfactory clinical therapeutic effects.

Arthroscopic Bone Graft for Intraosseous Lunate Bone Ganglion

Intraosseous lunate bone ganglia (ILBG) are known to be a cause of chronic wrist pain and disability. Standard treatment consists of curettage and autologous bone grafting. Open procedures have shown good results with few recurrences, but with frequent stiffness or persistent pain. Arthroscopic techniques are more recent and seem very reliable. Several arthroscopic techniques have been reported for ILBG approach and treatment. The present study describes an approach that preserves all the lunate cartilage of both radiocarpal and midcarpal surfaces. The surgical technique allows easy and direct access to the bone ganglia, passing through the intermediate portion of the scapholunate ligament, with the scope in the 1-to-2 portal and instrumentation through the 3-to-4 portal. The rest of the procedure is straightforward: curettage and bone grafting are performed through this specific approach, similarly to other techniques. This an easy and accurate approach that avoids any damage to the major cartilage surfaces of the lunate, with easy and reliable access to the intraosseous lunate bone ganglion, allowing cyst curettage and autologous bone graft in a proper and noninvasive way.

Arthroscopy-assisted treatment of scaphoid and lunate cysts: Clinical evaluation of 7 cases

Intraosseous cysts of the carpus are relatively common benign tumors. They are often discovered by chance and can cause wrist pain thereby requiring appropriate management. While conventional open surgical treatment leads to good results, it has certain disadvantages, the main one being postoperative stiffness. Arthroscopic treatment has been proposed as an alternative for lunate cysts. The present study consisted in evaluating the feasibility and outcomes of arthroscopic treatment for lunate and scaphoid cysts. The main objective was to evaluate the postoperative clinical outcomes at 3 and 18 months. The secondary objective was to evaluate the integration of a cancellous bone graft. We conducted a retrospective study of eight patients who underwent surgery between April 2010 and October 2016. Of these, four had a lunate cyst and four had a scaphoid cyst; all cysts had a dorsal operculum. Patients had disabling wrist pain that did not respond to conservative treatment. The diagnosis was confirmed by radiography and either a CT scan or an MRI. Curettage and cancellous grafts were performed under arthroscopic control. The technique was carried out successfully in all cases. One patient was lost to follow-up. At 18 months, postoperative pain was rated at 1.28 on a visual analog scale. The grip strength (measured with a Jamar dynanometer) was 77% when compared to the contralateral side. There was an improvement in joint range of motion, with an average wrist flexion of 67.5° compared to 48.3° preoperatively and an average wrist extension of 71.5° compared to 47.6° preoperatively. The Patient-Rated Wrist Evaluation (PRWE) score decreased from 69.7 to 12.7, which was a significant decrease. A good integration of the cancellous graft was confirmed at 6 months in all cases by CT scan or MRI. Curettage with a cancellous graft of lunate and scaphoid cysts under arthroscopic control is a technique that allows surgeons to obtain satisfactory clinical results with good integration of the graft.

Treatment of Intraosseous Ganglion Cyst of the Lunate: A Systematic Review

PURPOSE

Intraosseous ganglion cyst (IGC) is a rare disease, particularly in lunate. The objective of this study was to summarize current knowledge on the treatment of IGC of the lunate, through a literature review, to provide a therapeutic strategy for this rare disease.

METHODS

The PubMed, ISI Web of Science, Cochrane Library, EMBASE, Science Direct database were searched with a set of predefined inclusion and exclusion criteria. Manual searches for references were performed to find potential relevant studies. The authors extracted data from the articles selected.

RESULTS

Different treatment modalities of IGC of the lunate were described, all of which were divided into 3 categories: conservative treatment, classical surgical procedures, and novel surgical procedures. An overview on the main treatment modalities for IGC of the lunate was provided.

CONCLUSIONS

Conservative treatments can be the doctors' first choice for patients with IGC. Surgical procedure is advised when conservative treatment fails. Traditional surgical curettage with autologous bone grafting is the mainstay of treatment with satisfactory outcomes; however, novel surgical techniques like arthroscopically assisted minimally invasive technique or filling with bone cement are considered as more promising attempts with less trauma and shorter recovery period. Nonetheless, studies with high levels of evidence are guaranteed for developing widely accepted clinical treatment guidelines.