Surgical Excision of a Symptomatic Thoracic Nerve Root Perineural Cyst Resulting in Complete Resolution of Symptoms: A Case Report

Tarlov (perineural) cysts of the nerve root are common and usually incidental findings during magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of the lumbosacral spine. There are a few case reports where symptomatic thoracic perineural cysts have been described in the literature. We report a case of a high thoracic nerve root perineural cyst that failed conservative therapy, requiring surgical intervention. Our patient presented with radicular symptoms involving the left hand. Imaging workup revealed a cystic lesion of the left T1 nerve root at the level of the foramen. Surgical resection resulted in significant improvement in patient symptoms, and pathology revealed a perineural cyst. We conclude that a thoracic perineural (Tarlov) cyst can be symptomatic by causing nerve root compression and can be mistaken as a nerve root sheath tumor on imaging. Surgical treatment can be curative.