Bilateral Ganglion Cysts of the Ligamentum Flavum in the Cervical Spine Causing a Progressive Cervical Radiculomyelopathy and Literature Review

Here we report a unique case of bilateral ganglion cysts originating from the ligamentum flavum in the cervical spine. Degenerative cysts of the ligamentum flavum are rare lesions, and most had been reported in the lumbar spine. Its occurrence in the cervical spine is extremely rare: only eight have...

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Main Authors: Juneki Kim, Jin-gyu Choi, Byung-chul Son
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Wiley 2017-01-01
Series:Case Reports in Neurological Medicine
Online Access:http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2017/3953641
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author Juneki Kim
Jin-gyu Choi
Byung-chul Son
author_facet Juneki Kim
Jin-gyu Choi
Byung-chul Son
author_sort Juneki Kim
collection DOAJ
description Here we report a unique case of bilateral ganglion cysts originating from the ligamentum flavum in the cervical spine. Degenerative cysts of the ligamentum flavum are rare lesions, and most had been reported in the lumbar spine. Its occurrence in the cervical spine is extremely rare: only eight have been reported. A 66-year-old male patient presented with progressive paraparesis, pain, and paresthesia in his bilateral T1 dermatomes that had lasted for three weeks. Magnetic resonance imaging of the cervical spine demonstrated a well-demarcated cystic lesion in the bilateral dorsolateral aspects of the C7/T1 segment and significant compression of the cervical cord. All case reports of ganglion cysts of the cervical ligamentum flavum including the present one showed characteristic symptoms and signs of myelopathy such as paraparesis or quadriparesis associated with varying degrees of paresthesia or pain in the upper extremities. Ganglion cysts of the cervical ligamentum flavum are considered a cause of cervical radiculomyelopathy due to cervical intraspinal cystic lesions. Bilateral occurrence and associated subluxation of the involved cervical segments again support the degenerative pathogenesis of ganglion cysts of the ligamentum flavum in the cervical spine.
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spelling doaj-art-4e629c5f9dde4e94b61ff3fbf4fe98832025-02-03T05:47:14ZengWileyCase Reports in Neurological Medicine2090-66682090-66762017-01-01201710.1155/2017/39536413953641Bilateral Ganglion Cysts of the Ligamentum Flavum in the Cervical Spine Causing a Progressive Cervical Radiculomyelopathy and Literature ReviewJuneki Kim0Jin-gyu Choi1Byung-chul Son2Department of Neurosurgery, Seoul St. Mary’s Hospital, College of Medicine, The Catholic University of Korea, Seoul, Republic of KoreaDepartment of Neurosurgery, Seoul St. Mary’s Hospital, College of Medicine, The Catholic University of Korea, Seoul, Republic of KoreaDepartment of Neurosurgery, Seoul St. Mary’s Hospital, College of Medicine, The Catholic University of Korea, Seoul, Republic of KoreaHere we report a unique case of bilateral ganglion cysts originating from the ligamentum flavum in the cervical spine. Degenerative cysts of the ligamentum flavum are rare lesions, and most had been reported in the lumbar spine. Its occurrence in the cervical spine is extremely rare: only eight have been reported. A 66-year-old male patient presented with progressive paraparesis, pain, and paresthesia in his bilateral T1 dermatomes that had lasted for three weeks. Magnetic resonance imaging of the cervical spine demonstrated a well-demarcated cystic lesion in the bilateral dorsolateral aspects of the C7/T1 segment and significant compression of the cervical cord. All case reports of ganglion cysts of the cervical ligamentum flavum including the present one showed characteristic symptoms and signs of myelopathy such as paraparesis or quadriparesis associated with varying degrees of paresthesia or pain in the upper extremities. Ganglion cysts of the cervical ligamentum flavum are considered a cause of cervical radiculomyelopathy due to cervical intraspinal cystic lesions. Bilateral occurrence and associated subluxation of the involved cervical segments again support the degenerative pathogenesis of ganglion cysts of the ligamentum flavum in the cervical spine.http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2017/3953641
spellingShingle Juneki Kim
Jin-gyu Choi
Byung-chul Son
Bilateral Ganglion Cysts of the Ligamentum Flavum in the Cervical Spine Causing a Progressive Cervical Radiculomyelopathy and Literature Review
Case Reports in Neurological Medicine
title Bilateral Ganglion Cysts of the Ligamentum Flavum in the Cervical Spine Causing a Progressive Cervical Radiculomyelopathy and Literature Review
title_full Bilateral Ganglion Cysts of the Ligamentum Flavum in the Cervical Spine Causing a Progressive Cervical Radiculomyelopathy and Literature Review
title_fullStr Bilateral Ganglion Cysts of the Ligamentum Flavum in the Cervical Spine Causing a Progressive Cervical Radiculomyelopathy and Literature Review
title_full_unstemmed Bilateral Ganglion Cysts of the Ligamentum Flavum in the Cervical Spine Causing a Progressive Cervical Radiculomyelopathy and Literature Review
title_short Bilateral Ganglion Cysts of the Ligamentum Flavum in the Cervical Spine Causing a Progressive Cervical Radiculomyelopathy and Literature Review
title_sort bilateral ganglion cysts of the ligamentum flavum in the cervical spine causing a progressive cervical radiculomyelopathy and literature review
url http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2017/3953641
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AT jingyuchoi bilateralganglioncystsoftheligamentumflavuminthecervicalspinecausingaprogressivecervicalradiculomyelopathyandliteraturereview
AT byungchulson bilateralganglioncystsoftheligamentumflavuminthecervicalspinecausingaprogressivecervicalradiculomyelopathyandliteraturereview