Wrist joint ganglion presenting as a painless mass in the palm: report of 2 cases.

Ganglions occur commonly in the wrist and arise from the radiocarpal and intercarpal joints. Although ganglions present commonly as masses on the dorsal or volar surface of the wrist, ganglions from wrist joints appear rarely at other locations in the hand. We report 2 cases of ganglions arising from wrist joints that presented as painless masses in the center of the palm without signs or symptoms of median or ulnar nerve compression. Surgical treatment required extensile exposure to trace the proximal stalks to their joints of origin. Knowledge of the possibility that a painless mass in the palm could be a ganglion arising from a joint in the wrist allows proper presurgical planning and informed consent.