Ganglion Cyst - Treatment

Treatment

Surgical treatments remain the primary option, other than doing nothing at all, for the treatment of ganglion cysts. Arthroscopic surgery of the wrist is becoming available as an alternative to open excision of ganglion cysts. Alternatively, a needle may be used to drain the fluid from the cyst (aspiration); however, if the fluid has become thick owing to the passage of time, this treatment is not always effective.

Ganglion cysts have been found to recur following surgery in 12% to 41% of patients.

A six-year outcome study of treatment of ganglia on the back (dorsum) of the wrist compared excision, aspiration and no treatment. Neither excision nor aspiration provided long-term benefit over no treatment. Of the untreated ganglia, 58% resolved spontaneously; the post-surgery recurrence rate in this study was 39%.

A similar study in 2003 of palmar wrist ganglion states: "At 2 and 5 year follow-up, regardless of treatment, no difference in symptoms was found, regardless of whether the palmar wrist ganglion was excised, aspirated or left alone."

An outdated method of treating a ganglion cyst was to strike the lump with a large heavy book, causing the cyst to rupture and drain into the surrounding tissues. Since almost every home owned a Bible and it was often the largest book in the home, this is what was commonly used, which led to the nickname of "Bible bumps" or "Gideon's disease."