Mucous cyst
Hand Conditions
Wrist Conditions
Elbow Conditions
What is it?
A mucous cyst is a lump on the finger caused by a fluid filled sac, like a balloon. It appears near the nail bed and can occur in any finger. It can occur in a single finger or in multiple fingers.
It normally occurs due to wear and tear (arthritis) of the underlying joint, where the joint fluid leaks under the skin and forms the cyst.
What are the symptoms?
Most small mucous cysts are not painful. However, they can be tender to touch and cause pain when ‘caught’ against an object.
When they become larger, they can press on the nail bed and cause an unsightly deformity of the nail itself, as well as cause pain due to the pressure against surrounding tissues.
Occasionally, the cyst can burst, allowing the joint fluid to leak out. Joint fluid can also leak out through a punctum on top of the cyst. This can lead to infection and sepsis of the underlying joint, and medical attention is often needed.
If your cyst is discharging, we would advise you to seek medical attention, as it can lead to a septic infection of the joint and finger if left untreated.
what is the treatment?
For cysts that are painful, discharging fluid or causing a nail deformity, a small operation is required to remove the cyst and its sac. This will prevent worsening of your symptoms and prevent infection of the underlying joint. It can also restore the shape of the nail in many cases.
A simple aspiration with a syringe tend not to work, as the sac isn’t removed and the fluid re-accumulates very quickly.
Surgery to remove mucous cysts is performed under local anaesthesia where only the finger is ‘numbed’. Through a small cut, the cyst is removed completely, including the stalk that arise from the underlying joint. Any arthritic bone fragments, called ‘osteophytes’, are also removed to reduce the chance of the cyst coming back.
The operation itself is quick, taking 30 minutes or less. Finger movement is restored immediately and most patients are back to work in a week or two. The scar tends to heal extremely well following this operation, and will be barely visible after a few weeks.
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