Related Experiment Video
Updated: May 16, 2026

Transforaminal Full-Endoscopic Lumbar Foraminotomy Under Local Anesthesia for L5/S1 Adjacent Segment Foraminal Stenosis
Published on: October 17, 2025
Intraosseous ganglion cyst within the L4 lamina causing spinal stenosis
James D Lin1, Steven M Koehler, Roberto A Garcia
1Leni and Peter W. May Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Mount Sinai Medical Center, 5 East 98th St, 9th Floor, New York, NY 10029, USA.
Background Context:
There are rare reports of intraosseous ganglion cysts in the cervical spine. However, to our knowledge, there are no previous reports of these cysts occurring in the lumbar spine.
Purpose:
To report a case of symptomatic lumbar spinal stenosis caused by an intraosseous ganglion cyst of the L4 lamina that communicated with the spinal canal.
Study Design:
Case report.
Methods:
An 86-year-old woman was referred to our spine service for a 2-year history of anterior thigh and leg pain. Magnetic resonance imaging revealed a benign-appearing intraosseous cyst in the left L4 lamina communicating with a posterior epidural cyst at L4-L5 causing marked spinal stenosis. The patient was treated successfully with a laminectomy and resection.
Results:
The patient underwent partial laminectomies of L4 and L5 preserving the interspinous ligaments between L5-S1 and L3-L4. The cyst was removed en bloc without violation of the cyst wall. Histopathologic examination revealed focal myxoid changes without a cellular lining of the cyst wall, confirming the diagnosis of intraosseous ganglion cyst.
Conclusions:
This is the first report to describe an intraosseous ganglion cyst occurring in the lumbar spine. Although spinal stenosis is commonly a result of degenerative joint or disc disease, it occasionally may result from more obscure causes. This case illustrates a patient with an intraosseous ganglion cyst within the spinal lamina resulting in spinal stenosis, treated successfully with a laminectomy and resection.
More Related Videos
Related Concept Videos
Sympathetic Pathways: Sympathetic Chain Ganglia
Herniated Intervertebral Disc l: Introduction
Spinal Nerves: Plexus II
The Lumbar Plexus
The lumbar plexus is situated within the lumbar region of the back and is primarily formed by the first four lumbar spinal nerves (L1 to L4). This plexus extends its branches into several nerves, including the...
Local Anesthetics: Clinical Application as Spinal Anesthesia
Spinal Nerves: Plexus I
The Cervical Plexus
The cervical plexus, formed by the anterior rami of the first four...

