Arthroscopic resection of occult dorsal wrist ganglia

Arthroscopic resection of dorsal wrist ganglia has become a well-accepted practice. However, there is a paucity of results on occult ganglia in the literature. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the subjective outcomes of occult dorsal wrist ganglion cysts resected arthroscopically, and to identify and examine intraarticular findings and relate them to pre-operative MRI findings and histologies.

In 39 patients, 40 wrists were treated with arthroscopic resection of an occult dorsal wrist ganglion. Radio-carpal arthroscopy and mid-carpal arthroscopy were performed, and a capsular window overlying both compartments at the level of the scapholunate interval was created. The motivation to undergo operation for all patients was pain at rest and on load. In a retrospective study by telephone interview, patients were asked for pain reduction and satisfaction with the operation. 30 patients could be reached after 28.5 months on average.

29 of the 30 patients were content with the operation. Reduction of pain at rest and on load was significant. MRI was performed pre-operatively in all the cases and could confirm the presence of a ganglion in 31 cases. Intraoperatively, ganglion structures were identified in 25 cases. Histology showed ganglion tissue or myxoid degeneration in 12 of 26 taken samples. Histology was positive in the cases without intraoperative visualization of typical ganglion structures and without confirmation by MRI.

The results of this study confirm that a high patient satisfaction can be achieved for arthroscopic treatment of occult dorsal wrist ganglia, which seem especially amenable for arthroscopic treatment. Furthermore, the results suggest that arthroscopic resection of a dorsal capsular window can be indicated if the complaints and the clinical findings are typical for dorsal wrist ganglion, even though MRI findings may be negative.