Lumbar Intraforaminal Synovial Cyst in Young Adulthood: Case Report and Review of the Literature

Abstract

Study Design Case report. Objective Lumbar juxtafacet cysts (synovial and ganglion cysts) are a rare cause of low back and radicular leg pain. Most patients with lumbar cysts are in their sixth decade of life and have significant facet joint and disk degeneration. Lumbar synovial cysts (LSCs) are extremely rare in adolescence and young adulthood, and to our knowledge, only two pediatric cases of LSC have been reported in the literature. We aim to prove the existence of LSC in adolescent patients as a real entity that causes low back and radicular complaints and to discuss the possibility of traumatic injury as a pathogenic cause of LSC formation in adolescence. A case of an 18-year old patient with LSC is presented. We report the clinical presentation, management, outcome, and review of the literature, focusing on issues that remain debatable. Methods The case is presented together with its clinical course, the diagnostic techniques, the surgical findings, histologic results, and the treatment outcome. Results After surgical treatment, the patient's complaints were alleviated and almost no complaints were registered during the next 6 months’ follow-up. Conclusions LSCs are extremely rare in adolescence, but they could be considered in the differential diagnosis in adolescent patients with low back pain and radiculopathy. Surgical removal of LSC could be considered as a treatment option to provide immediate and safe symptomatic relief.