Endoscopic Resection of Lateral Synovial Cyst of the Knee.

Synovial cysts on the lateral side of the knee can cause pain, limitation of joint mobility, compression of the neighboring neurovascular structures, rupture leading to compartment syndrome, infection, erosion of adjacent bone, and iliotibial band friction syndrome. Open resection is commonly performed for symptomatic cysts. We describe an alternative, endoscopic approach to cyst resection. This has the advantages of minimally invasive surgery of smaller wounds, better cosmesis, and less surgical trauma.