Cervical degenerative intraspinal cyst: a case report and literature review involving 132 cases.

Intraspinal and extradural cysts in the cervical spine are rare disorders that may cause myelopathy or radiculopathy. A synovial cyst or ganglion derived from the facet joint and that from a ligamentum flavum have been reported. We report a surgical case of degenerative intraspinal cyst, causing cervical myelopathy. MRI of a case revealed cystic lesion at C4-5. Spinal cord was compressed by cyst and symptoms of myelopathy were also observed. The patient with cervical spinal canal stenosis underwent laminoplasty and excision of the cyst. The patient recovered well immediately after the surgery. Literature review showed that 133 patients have been reported, including the present case. Previous reports indicated that most cysts occurred in old patients and at the atlanto-axial or C7-T1 junction, and laminectomy or laminoplasty with excision of the cyst gave good results in most cases.