ABSTRACT
Introduction: Suprascapular nerve neuropathy secondary to ganglion cyst impingement has increasingly been found to be a cause of shoulder pain. Clinical Picture: We present 2 patients who complained of dull, poorly localised shoulder pain, which worsened with overhead activities. Magnetic resonance imaging showed ganglion cysts in the spinoglenoid notch. Treatment: Both patients failed conservative management with physiotherapy and underwent shoulder arthroscopy. One patient underwent arthroscopic decompression of the cyst and the other had open excision of the cyst. Outcome: Both patients experienced resolution of symptoms within 6 months of surgery. Conclusion: With appropriate treatment, suprascapular nerve neuropathy secondary to ganglion cyst impingement is a treatable condition with potentially good results.
Shoulder pain and dysfunction have long been the bane of both the young and old alike. Common causes include local conditions such as rotator cuff tears, impingement syndromes, tendonitis, bursitis, adhesive capsulitis, acromioclavicular joint osteoarthritis, as well as cervical pathology such as disc disease and spondylosis. Suprascapular nerve neuropathy has increasingly been found to be a cause of shoulder pain and dysfunction, especially with the advent of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and its use in evaluating shoulder pathology. With appropriate treatment, it has been shown that this is a treatable condition with potentially good results. We present 2 patients with spinoglenoid ganglion cysts as a cause of supraspinatus nerve neuropathy.
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