J Korean Neurosurg Soc.  1998 Apr;27(4):530-535.

A Case of Juxtafacet Cyst of the Lumbar Spine Accompanied by Spinal Instability

• Choi CY
• Min BK
• Kwon JT
• Suk JS

Abstract

A 37-year old man presented with radiating pain and hypesthesia of the right leg for one year, without a history of trauma. Clinical and radiological evaluation showed that he had bilateral L5 spondylolysis, spondylolisthesis L5 on S1, and a 1cm sized round epidural mass compressing the right L5 nerve root ventral to the right L5-S1 facet joint. After L5 total laminectomy and facetectomy, followed by excision of the juxtafacet cyst, L5-S1 pedicle screw fixation and L5-S1 intertransverse bone graft fusion were successfully performed. Rare reports of juxtafacet cysts have stated that they were often accompanied by spondylolisthesis and degenerative spinal changes, and associated with trauma and spinal instability. The authors believe that since spinal instability may be one of the causes of juxtafacet cysts, the removal of these may lead to spinal fusion.

Keyword

Juxtafacet cyst; Spinal instability; Spinal fusion

MeSH Terms

Adult
Humans
Hypesthesia
Laminectomy
Leg
Spinal Fusion
Spine*
Spondylolisthesis
Spondylolysis
Transplants
Zygapophyseal Joint