- Sacral Tarlov cysts
- Sacral perineural cysts
- Tarlov cyst
- Perineural cysts
- Sacral neural cysts
Your QuestionI have been diagnosed with Tarlov cyst disease. Is there a cure for this condition? How is it treated? Are there surgical options? How can I find a doctor who is knowledgeable about Tarlov cysts?
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Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation (TENS) has been proven useful for some in pain management. TENS devices deliver electrical impulses through the skin to the nerves to control pain. Unlike medications and topical ointments, TENS does not have any known side effects, other than skin irritation from the electrodes seen in some patients.
A recent review analized all the different surgical options, including the following:
- Sacral laminectomy with microsurgical cyst fenestration and cyst imbrication
- Sacral laminectomy with resection of the sacral cyst
- Microsurgical excision of the cyst along with duraplasty or plication of the cyst
- Release of the valve and imbrication of the sacral cysts with laminectomies
- Total or partial cyst wall removal, arranging the remaining nerve sheath, and repairing the local defect with muscle, gelfoam and fibrin glue
- Removing of the cyst and closure of defect by fibrin glue
- Microscopic cyst resection and closure of defect by fibrin glue
- Microsurgical fenestration from the cyst to the thecal sac
- Fenestration of the cyst and closure of the opening by stitches and glue
- Cyst remodeling around the root using titanium clips
- Cyst excision and occlusion of its neck.
The authors of this review concluded that the best results are obtained with the complete removal of the cyst and closure of defect by fibrin glue, or the microscopic cyst resection and closure of defect by fibrin glue, or the cyst removal with closure of its neck.
You can find the most recent articles on Tarlov cyst treatment through PubMed.gov, a database of biomedical journal articles. Click here to view a sample search.
- NINDS Tarlov Cysts Information Page. National Institutes of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS). June 14, 2012; http://www.ninds.nih.gov/disorders/tarlov_cysts/tarlov_cysts.htm.
- Elsawaf A, Awad TE & Fesal SS. Surgical excision of symptomatic sacral perineurial Tarlov cyst: case series and review of the literature. Eur Spine J. May 6, 2016; https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/27154168.
- Tarlov Cyst Information. Tarlov Cyst Disease Foundation. http://www.tarlovcystfoundation.org/tarlov_cyst_information0.aspx. Accessed 3/28/2016.
- Weinstein PR. Tarlov Cysts. National Organization for Rare Disorders (NORD). 2015; http://rarediseases.org/rare-diseases/tarlov-cysts/.