Traditional surgical excision versus lay-open technique in the treatment of hand and wrist ganglia

Aim The aim of the study was to compare the results of two techniques for the treatment of hand and wrist ganglia, either traditional surgical excision or lay-open technique. Patients and methods This study was conducted in Surgery Department, Minia University Hospital, Egypt during a period between January 2013 and October 2013. This study was conducted on 40 patients presented with hand or wrist ganglion. Patients were divided into two groups by random allocation. One group (group A) was treated by traditional surgical excision, whereas the other group (group B) was treated by lay-open technique. Both were followed up for 6 months and recurrences were recorded. Results Operative time was significantly longer for the traditional surgical excision than for lay-open technique (61.2 vs. 23.7 min; P 0.001). There was a significant difference between the two groups with respect to the operative technique difficulty (P 0.001). Postoperative complications were significantly higher in group A. However, the differences between the two groups were not statistically significant with respect to wound infection and occurrence of mild postoperative pain (P = 0.3). Satisfaction was significantly higher among patients in group B (90 vs. 45%; P 0.001). Conclusion Lay-open technique seems to be superior when compared with traditional surgical excision in the treatment of hand and wrist ganglion.