Treatment of Intraosseous Ganglion Cyst of the Lunate

Purpose Intraosseous ganglion cyst (IGC) is a rare disease, particularly in lunate. The objective of this study was to summarize current knowledge on the treatment of IGC of the lunate, through a literature review, to provide a therapeutic strategy for this rare disease. Methods The PubMed, ISI Web of Science, Cochrane Library, EMBASE, Science Direct database were searched with a set of predefined inclusion and exclusion criteria. Manual searches for references were performed to find potential relevant studies. The authors extracted data from the articles selected. Results Different treatment modalities of IGC of the lunate were described, all of which were divided into 3 categories: conservative treatment, classical surgical procedures, and novel surgical procedures. An overview on the main treatment modalities for IGC of the lunate was provided. Conclusions Conservative treatments can be the doctors' first choice for patients with IGC. Surgical procedure is advised when conservative treatment fails. Traditional surgical curettage with autologous bone grafting is the mainstay of treatment with satisfactory outcomes; however, novel surgical techniques like arthroscopically assisted minimally invasive technique or filling with bone cement are considered as more promising attempts with less trauma and shorter recovery period. Nonetheless, studies with high levels of evidence are guaranteed for developing widely accepted clinical treatment guidelines.