Histopathology of a symptomatic Tarlov cyst – Case report and review of the literature

Here we describe the case of a 63-year old woman with a sacral perineural cyst presenting with different symptoms such as headache, dizziness, and lower back pain with radiation and neurological claudication. The patient was treated by endoscopic assisted cyst resection and sacrum reconstruction. Histopathological examination of the cyst material revealed a cystic lesion with degenerative changes and hemorrhages. Postoperative course was uneventful, and the patients is free of symptoms three years after surgery. This case illustrates that symptomatic Tarlov cysts with extensive degenerative tissue changes can successfully managed by cyst resection.