www.handandwristinstitute.com/... - When ganglion cysts occur at the tip of the finger or in the nail bed, they are referred to as mucoid cysts. Unless they are close enough to the nail to cause deformity, they generally appear as a small, simple bump on the finger. Appearance of these cysts is generally associated with occurrences of arthritis in finger joints, but most often it is the cyst that causes pain, and not the underlying arthritis. Cysts most often occur on joints where bone spurs appear, which lead to the formation of the cysts in the first place.
Arthritis and bone spurs are best diagnosed using x-rays, but it is also possible that MRI imaging may be necessary to get a better look at the cyst itself.
People often treat cysts by aspirating them, but this very seldom leads to resolution of symptoms, and the cyst can often grow back in a very short time, so that surgery is the preferred method of resolution. In almost all cases, surgical treatment involving the complete physical removal of the cyst and related parts, as well as bone spurs, will lead to the complete resolution of symptoms. Extensor tendons are delicate and must be carefully avoided during surgery, otherwise mobility and use of the hand may be affected. It is also important that the surgery be undertaken prior to any outward eruption of the cyst through the skin to avoid infection.
Once surgery is completed, therapy should be initiated as soon as possible. After about ten days, the external sutures holding the wound together will be removed, and the overall recovery time should be about four weeks. Recurrences of this type of cysts, post-surgically, occure in less less than 5% of cases.