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CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 · Asian J Neurosurg 2011; 6(02): 78-82
DOI: 10.4103/1793-5482.92162
ORIGINAL ARTICLE

Surgical excision of a Juxtafacet cyst in the lumbar spine: A report of thirteen cases with long-term follow up

Ayman El Shazly
Department of Neurosurgery and Orthopedics, Ain Shams University, Ramses Extension Road, Abbasia Square, Cairo
,
Mohamed Khattab
Department of Neurosurgery and Orthopedics, Ain Shams University, Ramses Extension Road, Abbasia Square, Cairo
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Context: Juxtafacet cysts of the lumbar spine are extradural degenerative lesions associated with symptoms of lower back pain and radiculopathy. Surgical treatment is indicated when there is failure of conservative measures. Primary spinal fusion at the time of surgical excision of the cyst is a matter of controversy. Few reports have described long-term follow-up for surgical treatment of spinal cysts. Aim: The purpose of this study is to assess the long-term outcome of the surgical excision of a Juxtafacet cyst without spinal fusion. Study Design: This is a retrospective case series study, level IV evidence. Materials and Methods: This is a retrospective case series study on 13 patients with Juxtafacet cysts, who were treated with surgical excision of the cysts without spinal fusion. A questionnaire scoring system was used for evaluation of the surgical outcome. Results: The study was conducted on 13 patients, seven females (54%) and six males (46%), their age ranging from 38 to 69 years, with a mean age of 52 (±9.93 STD) years. The mean duration of the symptoms was 10.5 (±6.22 STD) months. All patients got benefit from surgery, with six excellent (46%), six good (46%), and one fair outcome (8%), with no surgery-related complications. The mean follow-up period of the patients at the time of this study was 4.2 years (±1.43 STD). Conclusion: Long-term follow-up for surgical excision of symptomatic Juxtafacet cysts without spinal fusion revealed excellent to good results in 92% of the patients, with a satisfaction rate of 80% (±8.41 STD).

Key-words:

Facet joint - ganglion cyst - Juxtafacet cyst - radiculopathy - synovial cyst


Publication History

Article published online:
27 September 2022

© 2011. Asian Congress of Neurological Surgeons. This is an open access article published by Thieme under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonDerivative-NonCommercial License, permitting copying and reproduction so long as the original work is given appropriate credit. Contents may not be used for commercial purposes, or adapted, remixed, transformed or built upon. (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/)

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