ORIGINAL ARTICLES   

Chirurgia 2014 December;27(6):323-6

Copyright © 2014 EDIZIONI MINERVA MEDICA

language: English

Ganglion cyst of knee cruciate ligament: a series of 9 cases

Dongyang C., Ye S., Zhihong X., Dongquan S., Jin D., Qing J.

Center for Diagnosis and Treatment of Joint Disease, Drum Tower Hospital, Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing University Medical School, Nanjing, China

AIM: There has been very few cases reported of ganglion cysts attaching to cruciate ligaments in the knee joint. We report 9 cases of cruciate ligament ganglion cyst in last 5 years and review the literature of this rare complaint in this article.
METHODS: We reviewed the medical records of 1798 consecutive patients referred for knee MR imaging and arthroscopy between October 2007 and January 2013. We found 9 patients with ganglion cysts of the cruciate ligaments. Arthroscopic debridement of ganglion cyst was performed in 7 patients. The other 2 patients refused the surgical intervention and were thus managed conservatively. The patients were followed postoperatively for averagely 36 months, while 2 conservatively managed patients were followed for 6 months.
RESULTS: Six of all 9 patients had a clear history of knee strain. All 9 cases complaint of intra-articular knee pain. A cyst anterior to ACL was identified in the case with the hyperextensive trigger point. In other 6 cases, cysts anter-lateral to PCL and cysts post-lateral to ACL were detected in 3 cases respectively. Arthroscopic debridement of ganglion cyst was performed in 7 patients. Out of 9 patients, 8 had total resolution while one conservatively managed chronic case had recurring knee pain in follow-up.
CONCLUSION: Cruciate ligament ganglion cyst is very rare. MR imaging is valuable in diagnosing cysts. The severity of pain seem to vary depending on relative size and location of the cyst. With arthroscopy, treatment of cruciate ligament cysts is simple with an always successful outcome.