![Sample our Medicine, Dentistry, Nursing & Allied Health journals, sign in here to start your FREE access for 14 days]({"type":"image" , "src" : "/sda/5944/TOC-Subject-Sample-2021-Medicine-Dentistry-Nursing-Allied-Health.jpg"})
Abstract
Introduction: Tarlov cysts (TC) are sacral perineural cysts that are often found incidentally during spinal imaging. In a small fraction, symptomatic TC can cause pain, bowel, bladder and/or sexual dysfunction, as well as motor and sensory deficits. While many surgeons regard TCs as a non-operative entity, there have been suggestions that operative intervention in carefully selected symptomatic patients may be beneficial. The aim of this meta-analysis is to identify whether surgical treatment for symptomatic TCs is beneficial with an acceptable complication profile.
Materials and methods: The authors conducted a systematic outcome analysis of symptomatic TCs treated either with surgery or conservatively managed.
Results: Sixteen studies (N = 238) met the inclusion criteria for final meta-analysis. The literature search was performed using PubMed, Ovid MEDLINE, CINAHL, and EMBASE databases up to September 2017 and with an updated search in April 2019. The post-operative complication rate in patients undergoing surgical intervention was 16.9 (11.8 to 22.7) and cyst recurrence was 8.5 (3.5 to 15.4). When a complication occurred, the most frequent complication of surgical intervention was the development of a surgical site infection and/or CSF leak. Of the 15 studies reporting long-term follow-up, 81.0 (74.0–88.0) of patients remained symptom-free for more than 1 year (Mean: 27.5 months, SD = 11.5).
Conclusion: We rigorously analyse the efficacy of open surgical decompression and repair of symptomatic TCs and corroborate the findings of sustained long-term resolution of symptoms.
Acknowledgements
The authors acknowledge all patients described in the TC studies who serve as the motivation for this work.
Disclosure statement
No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).