Epineural Ganglion Causing Cubital Tunnel Syndrome: A Case Report

Abstract

Although ganglions are the most common cause of ulnar tunnelsyndrome, they are one of the rare causes of cubital tunnelsyndrome (CuTS). In this article, we report a 49-year-old femalepatient admitted to the outpatient clinic complaining of numbnessand tingling in the ring and little fingers of the right hand. Therewas no history of systemic disease or previous trauma. The patientwas diagnosed with CuTS in the light of clinical examination andnerve conduction studies. Simple cubital tunnel decompression wasperformed under general anesthesia and microsurgical explorationrevealed a 2¥2 cm epineural ganglion cyst compressing the ulnarnerve. The cyst was excised without damaging the ulnar nerve andcutaneous nerves. Histopathology also confirmed the ganglioncyst. In the postoperative period, the patient's clinical improvementwas more satisfactory than nerve conduction studies. The diagnosisof CuTS is established by physical examination, provocative test,and nerve conduction studies. In patients who cannot achieve asatisfactory outcome by conservative treatment, the cyst should bekept in mind among etiologic factors. Magnetic resonance imagingshould be requested for accurate diagnosis and preoperativesurgical planning.