Journal Article Critique
A 43 year old woman had a mass in her right thigh for approximately one month before she went to her doctor. The doctor gave her an examination and found the mass to be firm, painless, and stationary. He then followed up with ultrasound and MRI testing. The results reveled the size shape and location of the mass. Surgery was scheduled to remove the mass. When it was dissected a gel like substance spilled out indicating a ganglion cyst. They did a microscopic examination of the cyst and it showed a dense fibrous wall.
Nine months after the surgery the patient complained of another mass in the same spot. She went back to the doctor that preformed the original surgery and he ordered a CT scan. The CT scan results showed two more cysts. They determined the cysts were from fluid leakage and not getting the entire cyst the first time.
Ganglion cysts are common but since this one was located in the tendon itself, it is considered rare. These types of cysts are generally located in the hand, wrist, and foot. They recur in about ten percent of cases due to fluid leakage and incomplete removal.
The implications of this article for health care professionals are a need for clear diagnosis, complete removal during surgery, and try to avoid leakage during surgery. A clear diagnosis can be achieved by MRI’s and ultrasound scans which helps determine the size and the location of the cysts. Doctors need to work harder to achieve total removal of the cysts during surgery to help prevent a reoccurrence of future cysts in the same area. A better system to contain the cysts fluid from contaminating the surgical site must be implemented. The reoccurrence of cysts from fluid leakage and incomplete removal is only ten percent, doctors and scientist should try to develop a better way to lower the reoccurrence and keep patients off of the operating table. There needs to be more study on what causes the cysts to begin with they know why they reoccur but not much is known why they occur
Nine months after the surgery the patient complained of another mass in the same spot. She went back to the doctor that preformed the original surgery and he ordered a CT scan. The CT scan results showed two more cysts. They determined the cysts were from fluid leakage and not getting the entire cyst the first time.
Ganglion cysts are common but since this one was located in the tendon itself, it is considered rare. These types of cysts are generally located in the hand, wrist, and foot. They recur in about ten percent of cases due to fluid leakage and incomplete removal.
The implications of this article for health care professionals are a need for clear diagnosis, complete removal during surgery, and try to avoid leakage during surgery. A clear diagnosis can be achieved by MRI’s and ultrasound scans which helps determine the size and the location of the cysts. Doctors need to work harder to achieve total removal of the cysts during surgery to help prevent a reoccurrence of future cysts in the same area. A better system to contain the cysts fluid from contaminating the surgical site must be implemented. The reoccurrence of cysts from fluid leakage and incomplete removal is only ten percent, doctors and scientist should try to develop a better way to lower the reoccurrence and keep patients off of the operating table. There needs to be more study on what causes the cysts to begin with they know why they reoccur but not much is known why they occur