Long-term outcomes and patient satisfaction following wrist ganglion aspiration

Background There is a strong body of evidence addressing short-term outcomes following wrist ganglion aspiration; however, few studies have investigated long-term outcomes and patient satisfaction. Objective To evaluate patient satisfaction and the long-term rate of recurrence following wrist ganglion aspiration. Methods Charts of all patients with a wrist ganglion treated by a single surgeon from 2001 to 2011 were reviewed. Demographic and clinical data were retrieved from patient charts. Patients were contacted by telephone and asked to complete a questionnaire addressing recurrence, satisfaction and symptom improvement. Improvement was assessed using a Likert scale, with 1 indicating ‘significantly worse’ and 5 indicating ‘significantly improved’. Statistical analysis was performed using Pearson x2, Mann-Whitney-Wilcoxon and Fisher's exact tests. Results Forty-one consecutive patients were identified using hospital records; 21 (51%) consented to the telephone questionnaire. There were no differences in demographic or clinical data between patients who completed the telephone questionnaire and those who did not. The mean age at treatment was 45.3 years, mean time to follow-up was 6.3 years and 52.4% of ganglions recurred. Overall, 95% (20 of 21) of patients were satisfied with their treatment and would proceed again given the option; satisfaction was independent of recurrence. Following treatment, there was improvement in pain, function, range of motion and appearance; improvement in symptoms was independent of recurrence. Conclusions Long-term recurrence of ganglions treated with aspiration appeared to be similar to the short-term rates reported in the literature. Independent of recurrence, patients remained satisfied with aspiration and reported improvement in symptoms.