Managing digital mucoid cysts by cryosurgery with liquid nitrogen: preliminary report

Fourteen patients with digital mucoid cysts were treated by cryosurgery with liquid nitrogen using an intermittent spray technique. The cysts were punctured and the contents expressed preoperatively. Treatment was well tolerated without local anesthesia. Cysts ranged in size from 0.4 to 1.5 cm. Average follow-up was 18.6 months. Twelve patients were cured to date, in some instances after many prior unsuccessful attempts with other treatment modalities. In one patient a cyst recurred after 10 months and was retreated by cryosurgery. In another patient a much smaller cyst recurred after 12 months. Cosmetic results were gratifying, with absent or minimal scarring. From these preliminary observations it may be concluded that liquid nitrogen cryospraying of digital mucoid cysts is a valuable therapeutic modality in these notoriously recalcitrant lesions.