Treatment of digital mucous cysts with a carbon dioxide laser.

Digital mucous cysts are common tumours of the distal interphalangeal joint, causing pain, cosmetic disfigurement and nail deformities. This study describes six patients suffering from digital mucous cysts, some of which recurred after surgery. Carbon dioxide laser vaporization was performed under local anaesthesia, resulting in complete remission in four out of six patients. In two patients, the mucous cyst recurred within 3 weeks and 11 months, respectively, after laser therapy. Although complete remission cannot be achieved in all patients, carbon dioxide laser vaporization of mucous cysts is fast and easy to perform. No side-effects of therapy, such as nail deformities, pain or infection, occurred. For this reason, more aggressive treatments, such as radical excision of the cyst, could be restricted to cases in which carbon dioxide laser therapy fails.