The treatment of mucous cysts: long-term follow-up in sixty-two cases.

To determine the course of the so-called mucous cyst both after various modalities of treatment and without treatment, 56 patients with 62 cysts were contacted to participate in a study with an average follow-up of 6.2 years after initial evaluation. The mucous cysts primarily occurred in elderly women and were most prevalent in the index and long fingers. Longitudinal grooving of the nail was not uncommon and may hve preceded the appearance of the cyst. Degeneration of the distal interphalangeal joint was frequently found. The long-term results after treatment with simple aspiration or decapping, or by excision with skin grafts and flaps as needed or with observation only were similar. However, surgical excision or aspiration may eliminate earlier the cosmetic disfigurement and occasional discomfort that are associated with this lesion.