Popliteal cysts

　　Popliteal cysts are a general term for synovial cysts within the popliteal fossa. They can be divided into congenital and acquired types, with the former more common in children and the latter caused by diseases of the bursa itself, such as chronic injury, but some patients are concurrent with chronic knee joint lesions. The onset in the elderly is often related to knee joint lesions and proliferative arthritis. The most common type of popliteal cyst is the expanded gastrocnemius, semimembranosus tendon bursa, which often communicates with the posterior joint capsule. Clinically, it is most common in middle-aged and older people, with more men than women, leading to mechanical limitation of extension and flexion of the knee, mild pain, but obvious tension and swelling sensation.

　　In addition to general symptoms, popliteal cysts can also cause other diseases, and the relevant descriptions of complications associated with this disease. Therefore, once discovered, active treatment is needed, and preventive measures should also be taken in daily life. This disease seriously affects the daily life of patients, so it should be actively prevented.

　　Popliteal cysts often occur in children and the elderly, with children's onset being congenital and symmetrical on both sides. In the elderly, it is often manifested as weakness, softness, and pain in the posterior part of the knee joint. Large cysts can hinder the extension and flexion of the knee joint, and even affect the venous return of the popliteal fossa, resulting in local or edema below the knee joint. Most patients have few自觉 symptoms, but when the cyst grows to a certain degree, the extension and flexion of the knee joint is limited.

　　There is currently no preventive method for popliteal cysts. The diet of patients should be light and easy to digest, eat more vegetables and fruits, reasonably match the diet, and pay attention to adequate nutrition. In addition, patients should also pay attention to avoid spicy, greasy, and cold foods.

　　The laboratory examination items for popliteal cysts are as follows:
　　1. Physical examination:An elastic, fluctuant mass can be felt in the popliteal area, with a smooth surface, soft texture, and slight tenderness, and it is not adherent to the skin or other tissues.
　　2. X-ray examination:By injecting air into the cyst and taking X-ray films, it can be found that the bursa communicates with the joint, thereby confirming the diagnosis.

　　Patients with popliteal cysts should pay attention to a reasonable diet, avoid salty and spicy foods, barbecue, fried foods, and other foods. The diet of patients should be light and easy to digest, eat more vegetables and fruits, reasonably match the diet, and pay attention to adequate nutrition. In addition, patients should also pay attention to avoid spicy, greasy, and cold foods.

　　Popliteal cysts mainly include two types: one is drug treatment after aspiration of the cyst fluid, that is, after aspiration of the cyst fluid, 1% lidocaine and Dexamethasone 7mg mixed solution 4-8ml is injected into the cyst, once a week, which can achieve good therapeutic effects. For those who are ineffective with the above treatment, popliteal cyst resection can be performed.

　　The recurrence rate of aspiration and open surgery for popliteal cysts is very high. Aspiration cannot relieve the etiology of popliteal cysts, and recurrence is not difficult to understand. The reasons for the failure of open surgery may be due to the difficulty in correctly judging the opening of the cyst during surgery due to anatomical variations and surgical techniques, and sometimes it cannot completely remove the cyst wall. There are certain differences between popliteal cysts in children and adults. Children often do not communicate with the joint, rarely have joint lesions, and can generally heal spontaneously. However, adults often have joint lesions, and joint lesions should be treated at the same time as the cyst is removed to avoid recurrence. In principle, all popliteal cysts should be removed, and arthroscopy should be performed before surgery. Most cases can be treated with a posterior medial incision or a posterior incision, and straight leg raising and quadriceps exercises should be performed after surgery.