What are current treatment options for TCs and what are the long term outcomes?
Most Tarlov cysts are discovered on MRI, CT or Myelogram. It is sometimes confusing to make an accurate diagnosis as to the cause of the symptoms, if there are multiple diagnoses found, such as herniated discs, ruptured disc or degenerative disc disease (DDD). It is sometimes diagnostically conclusive that the cysts are the cause of symptoms, when pain is improved by aspirating the fluid from the cysts. Although using a needle to aspirate cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) from the cysts can temporarily relieve symptoms, eventually the cysts will refill and the symptoms will recur usually within hours. Similarly epidural steroid injections (ESI )may provide some short term pain relief. Pain may be also temporarily controlled by aspiration of the cysts and then injecting the cysts with fibrin glue (a substance produced from blood chemicals involved in the clotting mechanism). The aspiration of CSF and injection of fibrin glue procedure theoretically is designed to remove the CSF from the cyst, a
