Arthroscopic Curettage of Intraosseous Ganglions of the Lunate Bone

Background: Intraosseous ganglions (IOGs) of the lunate bone are a rare cause of chronic wrist pain. Traditional treatment by open curettage and bone grafting can lead to ongoing pain and stiffness of the wrist. Objectives: In this study, an arthroscopically assisted minimally invasive technique of debridement without grafting of the lunate IOG was presented. Patients and Methods: In a prospective study, eight patients with symptomatic lunate intraosseous ganglions were treated with an arthroscopically assisted curettage technique without bone grafting in seven of them. At the preoperative examination and the last followup, wrist flexion/extension range of motion, the Mayo Wrist Performance Score, the Quick-Disabilities of the Arm, Shoulder, and Hand (Quick-DASH) score and the visual analog scale (VAS) were calculated. At final follow-up recurrence, patients’ general satisfaction, return to work and complications were assessed. Results: The mean age of patients was 37 ± 8 years. The mean duration of symptoms and follow-up were 12 ± 4 and 28 ± 17 months, respectively. The mean pretreatment wrist flexion-extension arc of motion was 151 ± 46, and 174 ± 9 at the last follow-up, which was not significantly different (P = 0.23). All patients had statistically significant improvements in the Mayo functional wrist score (P < 0.01), QuickDASH score (P < 0.01) and VAS score (P < 0.01). Conclusions: Arthroscopic debridement of intraosseous ganglions of the Lunate bone without bone grafting could improve wrist functional outcomes with fewer complications.