Korean J Dermatol.  2021 Dec;59(10):742-748.

Clinical Type and Treatment Response in Patients with Digital Mucous Cyst: A Retrospective Study

• Jung JW
• Hong EH
• Baek EJ
• Park EJ
• Kim KJ
• Kim KH

Abstract

Background
Digital mucous cysts (DMCs) are benign, occurring mainly on the fingers but rarely on the toes. Although the exact cause of DMC has not been identified, it is classified into two different types based on its pathogenesis and location. Surgical and nonsurgical procedures, including aspiration, sclerotherapy, steroid injection, cryotherapy, and CO 2 laser, can be used to treat DMC.
Objective
This study aimed to compare treatment response based on DMC type and evaluate its efficacy in surgical and nonsurgical (sclerotherapy) treatments.
Methods
We retrospectively reviewed the electronic medical records of patients with DMC who visited our dermatology department between January 2010 and November 2020.
Results
This study enrolled 39 patients having a mean age of 59.2 years. The proportion of female patients (21/39, 53.8%) was more than male (18/39, 46.2%). The DMC occurrence was more frequent in the fingers (32/39, 82.1%), especially in the index and middle fingers than in the toes (7/39, 17.9%). In sclerotherapy, DMC in the distal interphalangeal joint (DIPJ) required more treatment than that in the proximal nail fold (PNF) (p＜0.05). The number of treatments using sclerotherapy was higher compared to that of surgical treatments (p＜0.05).
Conclusion
The DIPJ type of DMC patients was more difficult to treat using sclerotherapy than the PNF type. Moreover, surgical treatment has a better response than sclerotherapy.

Keyword

Cysts; Sclerotherapy; Surgical procedures