Ganglion Cyst Of The Wrist - Everything You Need To Know - Dr. Nabil Ebraheim

Dr. Ebraheim’s educational animated video describes ganglion cysts of the wrist.

Ganglion cyst of the wrist is the most common hand mass and it is not a tumor. The cyst is filled with mucinous (gelatinous) fluid and it transilluminates.
Ganglion cysts of the wrist can be either dorsal or volar. The dorsal type of ganglion cyst is common and it not as bad. The dorsal type originates from the scapholunate articulation.
Occasionally the volar type (rare) occurs and this can be bad. The volar type could compress the median nerve or ulnar nerve and possibly compress the artery which will compromise the circulation in the hand. The volar type originates from the radiocarpal joint, which is the wrist joint itself (Figure 3).
Clinical findings
A bump or a mass that is well defined, localized, smooth, and not attached to the skin. The dorsal ganglion cyst is obvious with flexion of the wrist. The volar ganglion cyst is obvious with extension of the wrist.
The ganglion cyst in general is usually asymptomatic and the patient is more concerned about the look and cosmesis. When the physician examines it, they will see that it is a firm mass that can transilluminate.
The physician will do the Allen’s test. The nerves of the hand and the circulation will be checked to make sure that they are not affected.
An MRI is usually not done and when it is done, there is usually a fluid signal seen inside the mass. An ultrasound is a good study to check the relationship between the cyst and the vascularity, especially the radial artery with volar cysts. Ultrasound is good during an aspiration when the ganglion cyst is near the artery.
Treatment
In the majority of cases, treatment is observation. In children, the majority of ganglion cysts resolve themselves in about one year. The physician will either leave the cyst alone, perform an aspiration or perform surgery. An aspiration is usually done for dorsal ganglion cysts. There is a high recurrence rate with aspiration of a dorsal ganglion cyst (50%). There is minimal risk associated with an aspiration. The physician should try to avoid aspiration with volar ganglion cysts because the volar cysts is close to the artery. If the physician performs an aspiration of the volar ganglion cyst, the wrist will be hyperextended to try and see the artery and displace it away from the cyst as the needed is placed in an area away from the artery. It is probably better to do an aspiration of the volar ganglion with ultrasound guidance.
Surgery is done for severe symptoms and if there is neurovascular compromise. Excision of the ganglion cyst will be done if it is painful, resect the capsule and the stalk. Excision for a dorsal ganglion cyst has less than 10% recurrence rate. A high recurrence rate excision of the volar ganglion cyst (about 20%). The Allen’s test should be done to check the blood flow before doing excision of the volar ganglion cyst.

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[SuperThunder]

Thank you Dr.Nabil, best explanation of this problem.

[yeahright]

I had the volar type when I was 9, it grew so fast. I asked my parents to have it removed when I felt pain on my whole arm whenever I flex or put pressure on it. I had undergone a surgery and it never grew after that

[siobhanshavonne]

I've had this for 11 years. I get pain sometimes when I lift a coffee mug or certain other objects like a skillet. Having my hand in an awkward flexed position usually causes some pain.

[mklnelson]

I smashed mine with a text book last year in January. However, it came back that same winter and I repeated the smashing; I noticed if I rubbed it immediately after hitting it with a text book I could rub the fluid around while imagining the cyst goo lubing up my joints....


Return of the cyst the following winter. I did the bible bump book smashing thing but I could tell there was some goo under there, maybe I didn't rub it good enough or I should have double smashed or maybe use a bible not a textbook??? Anyways, I still have it and its size is back to the first scary sack of goo and here I am looking up cyst stuff. Its return seems to be related to anything I do extensively, for example if I color or draw for long periods or if I game for a long time. Its first appearance was the same night I thought "could I injure my wrist if I color any longer" and poof a cyst appeared after more hours of intensive coloring on anxiety relieving adult coloring books, now it can easily appear. I am a hair stylist so there is that too.

Yes, I would rather smash it with a book than go any where near needles are involved....now where is my coloring book?

[robertaschoultz]

I got literally ONE treatment, about 30 minutes using electro acupuncture on my volar ganglion cyst, more needles were placed around my body on various points on the spleen meridian. The electro stimuli was only placed on the needles around the cyst. Anyways, it decreased SIGNIFICANTLY, from about the size of a quarter to the size of a rice grain, and became much softer. And that is just ONE TREATMENT. One more win for the traditional model of medicine vs biomedical/allopathic model of medicine

[brendabarry]

I hit the cyst on my wrist with a heavy book. Not only did it hurt a lot, I now have 3 smaller cysts that I can see and they all 3 are painful. I’ve had them 10 years. They will get smaller if I don’t do much and get larger if I use my hands a lot.

[SniperNShadowz]

How you you know if it’ll come back or not, I got mine removed but I think it may be coming back

[jayrilog]

I have my volar ganglion cyst for about 1 year and haft on my right wrist. Last Friday I got surgery of this and the operation was really so deep it was hiding on my arteries so that doctor was very careful about this because I have a big veins also and it's really complicated. The doctor says if I let this cyst getting bigger I might not use my right hand because it was on the back on my arteries. Operation takes about more than 1 hour. He carefully remove it completely with the capsule and what the inside of this capsule was like a gel and the ganglion cyst have a gray color (with the capsule together with a gel inside). I can't able to use my right hand for 1 week and 5 days because it really hurts when im trying to use my right hand and now I can hold it but not like before I just need to fully recover and heal the wound. I'm on the stage of healing and tomorrow is getting 2 weeks from my surgery and the wound still open and I'm hoping it will heal and to be close it completely so I can move and use it normally like before.

[sanibunnii]

Is it gonna be really bad if i accidently bump the ganglion on something hard?bcoz i just accidently do it many times and it hurts...and i am also a teen and my Volar cyst ganglion didnt resolve themself..and its almost about 3 years i have it on my wrist..and i also have the volar type...Oh god..i am scared cuz if i go to hospital i have to do a surgery..and my parent say that i am gonna go to the hospital on saturday..Oh god...Please pray for me ;-;

[wefukthenwo]

I just noticed a volar cyst on my wrist after a extensive drumming session. Does this mean I have to stop drumming? It doesn't hurt, yet!!

[QaDri]

Ugh of course I got the short end of the stick with volar. Can I use a book for it?
Edit: I did it. Did it myself with a hardcover. Felt like a Yakuza cutting his pinky off before I smashed it a few times. Had a good 5 full smashes before it flattened. It was an inch long cyst :/ my wrist doesn’t feel so tight anymore now too

[MultiDjc]

I have a hateful, painful, aggravitating, cyst, on my right wrist, i drop coffee cups, cant squeeze out dishcloths, cant lift pans on hot stove unless my right hand is supported by my left hand to avoid dropping hot liquids or spilling contents of the pan! My arm aches most of the night unless i rub my entire hand n arm down with pain cream!!my volar cyst is getting worse in terms of pain! My thumb on my right hand is very sensitive and stiff at times, n bad rainy weather makes it worse? Maybe? I always dread lying down at night due to the fact that it seems to hurt more as soon as i lie down, also i toss n turn a lot to seek a good position to gt comfortable so i can sleep.i always wind up, gt out of bed in the middle of the night to put more pain cream on my wrist and arm all the way up to my shoulder. I would love to have a goodnights sleep, pain free

[what.]

If i were to get a surgery, by after 2 months, am i allowed to write on papers? You see, i'm a student, and not planning to get drop on school. (My volar cyst is in my right wrist, and i'm right handed)

[AmirAlvi]

Any medicine which are batter for their??

[bettygray]

I had this very painful to scrub a potato or peel it. I'm no authority or specialist or Dr but for myself after B1 shots weekly with B complex it pain left + the lump went away soon. I stopped the shots for a few months pain started to return + lumps started to form again on both wrists. I got the shots from a compounding pharmacist who could prescribe medication.

[justinmulcahy]

Ughh I have had my volar ganglion cyst for litteraly 13 years and 2 times a month about it get bigger then gets smaller to the point where it’s almost gone then gets bigger again 😆 LOL GANGLION CYST GANG

[curiousako]

I have this painful bump on my wrisk and I'm gonna go to doctor tomorrow for a test..

[syedrahman]

Guys i need to know how long will it take for the letter to arrive for my operation for my ganglion cyst on my left wrist

[gavingredes]

What if its hard like a bone and pinky size? I dont know if its a cyst or not. Cause its hard like a bone

[rdb]

I have symptoms of De Quervains, but now I see my pulse on the surface of my skin (anterior, base of thumb) as if the artery is being pushed to the surface. I guess it's time to see the dr.