• Bruno Splavski, Ante Rotim, Ivan Brumini, Ivan Koprek, Domagoj Gajski, Boris Božić, and Krešimir Rotim.
• 1Department of Neurosurgery, Sestre milosrdnice University Hospital Centre, Zagreb, Croatia; 2Josip Juraj Strossmayer University of Osijek, School of Medicine, Osijek, Croatia; 3Josip Juraj Strossmayer University of Osijek, School of Dental Medicine and Health, Osijek, Croatia; 4Department of Neurosurgery, Dubrava University Hospital, Zagreb, Croatia; 5University of Applied Health Sciences, Zagreb, Croatia; 6Department of Neurosurgery, Varaždin General Hospital, Varaždin, Croatia.
• Acta Clin Croat. 2019 Sep 1; 58 (3): 491-496.

AbstractLumbar spine synovial cysts are benign growths adjoining the facet joints that may induce low back pain, lumbar radiculopathy and neurological deficit. However, they are not well defined concerning their origin, cause and pathology, as well as available treatment strategies. The scope of different surgical procedures includes image-guided epidural steroid injection, direct cyst puncture by percutaneous epidural needle, spinal canal decompression and cyst resection, and spinal bone fusion with/without instrumentation. Hereby, we report institutional experience and discuss surgical strategies of lumbar spine synovial cyst treatment. Presenting symptoms, imaging findings and outcomes were retrospectively analyzed in 15 patients with lumbar spine synovial cyst, operated on during a one-year period. The leading presenting symptom was lumbar radicular pain, while the most commonly involved vertebral level was L5-S1. In a great majority of patients, a single-level interlaminectomy and cyst resection were performed. Most patients recovered without postoperative neurological and functional deficit, as well as surgery-related complications. No poor outcome was noticed in our series. Concerning our results and literature review, the optimal management for patients with symptomatic lumbar synovial cyst has to be highly personalized, which is essential to achieve a favorable outcome. Nonetheless, the best treatment strategy has yet to be affirmed.

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