title: Intraneural Ganglions of the Hand and Wrist.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To review 15 patients who were treated for intraneural ganglions of the hand and wrist.
  
  
  METHODS
  Between 1990 and 2012, 15 patients were treated for intraneural ganglions of the hand and wrist. There were 9 women and 6 men, averaged age 42 years. Ten patients presented with a mass and 5 with symptoms of entrapment neuropathy. The ganglions involved the ulnar nerve at the wrist in 5 patients, the dorsal branch of the ulnar nerve in 2, the superficial radial nerve in 2, a digital nerve in 4, and the dorsal branch of a digital nerve in 2. Eight patients had magnetic resonance imaging evaluations that showed cystic masses that did not confirm intraneural ganglions. In all patients diagnosis was made intraoperatively. Ganglions were treated by intraneural dissection and excision of the cyst in 10 patients, excision of the articular branch and decompression of the cyst in 4, and excision of the ganglion and the nerve in 1.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Postoperative follow-up averaged 57 months. There were no complications or recurrences. Five patients had transient paresthesias that improved after an average of 2 months. Preoperative symptoms improved in all patients. Patients returned to normal daily and work activities at an average of 10 days.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Intraneural ganglions should be considered in the differential diagnosis of a mass in the vicinity of a nerve. Surgical excision is usually curative but simple excision of the articular branch and decompression of the cyst seems simpler and equally effective.
  
  
  METHODS
  Therapeutic IV.
authors.affiliation: Southern Illinois University, Effingham, IL; Southern Illinois Hand Center, Effingham, IL. Electronic address: nnaam@handdocs.com.
authors.forename: Nash H
authors.initials: NH
authors.lastname: Naam
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurosurgery, University of Colorado Health Sciences Center, Denver, CO.
authors.forename: Steven B
authors.initials: SB
authors.lastname: Carr
authors.affiliation: Department of Orthopedics, Al Azhar University, Cairo, Egypt.
authors.forename: Abdel Hakim A
authors.initials: AH
authors.lastname: Massoud
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D045888:Ganglion Cysts / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000601:surgery*; D050823:Hand Joints; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D020127:Recovery of Function; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D016896:Treatment Outcome
keywords: Cyst; ganglion; hand; intraneural; nerve