Midterm Results of Percutaneous CT-Guided Aspiration of Symptomatic Lumbar Discal Cysts

Abstract

Percutaneous CT-guided aspiration is an effective method for the management of lumbar intervertebral discal cysts.

Discal cysts of the lumbar spine: report of five cases and review of the literature

“…These reports also showed favorable results, with no cases of recurrence. CTguided aspiration of the cyst contents was described in two reports with nine patients (16%) [11,16]. This method showed good results in eight patients and recurrence of the cyst in one patient (11%).…”

“…In all cases of discal cysts reviewed in the literature, three cases (5.3%) showed spontaneous regression of the cyst after conservative treatment [3,5,6], five cases (9%) showed failure after conservative treatment and referred to surgery [4,9,12,20] and two cases showed recurrence of the cyst (3.5%) after CT-guided aspiration [11] and microsurgical resection [18]. The natural history of discal cysts is still unknown, however; these findings support the importance of the surgical treatment of discal cysts.…”

Clinical Application of CO2 Laser

“…Most discal cysts reported have been treated by open surgical excision (Chiba, Toyama et al 2001; or with some direct intervention, such as computed tomography-guided aspiration and steroid injection (Kang, Liu et al 2008). Recently, it was reported that a discal cyst was treated with a minimally invasive technique using PELD (Min 2006).…”

Commentary on: “Lumbar Intervertebral Discal Cyst: A Rare Cause of Low Back Pain and Radiculopathy. Case Report and Review of the Current Evidences on Diagnosis and Management”

“…If an invasive strategy is necessary, an aspiration of the cyst versus a surgical technique should be weighed and considered. CT-guided aspirations of cysts, as detailed by Kang et al,3 demonstrated an 89% success rate (one out of the eight patients recurred). However, the location of the cyst will determine the feasibility of this treatment modality.…”