Contents
Hygroma on the finger of the hand can appear both on its back side and on the side of the palms. It is a cyst, which is surrounded by a dense shell of connective tissue, and inside is filled with fluid.
Hygroma does not pose a threat to human health in terms of malignancy. This is a benign tumor that does not regenerate and does not metastasize. However, the hygroma located on the finger is a cosmetic defect that is noticeable not only to the person himself, but also to those around him.
Tumors can cause not only aesthetic, but also physical discomfort: they hurt, worsen the nutrition of the tissues of the fingers, and make it difficult for them to move. Therefore, the hygroma must be disposed of immediately after its appearance, while the tumor is small and has not reached an impressive size.
Hygroma on the finger of the hand – what is it?
In past years, such a cyst was called a tendon ganglion, but in modern medical literature the term “hygroma” is more common.
The tumor grows from the tendon sheath of the finger and gives it a forced position. Most often, such a neoplasm is localized in the area of the wrist joint. If it appears on the fingers, then its favorite place of localization is their palmar side at the level of the metacarpophalangeal joint. In this place, a hard and slightly painful seal appears. Since the hygroma presses on the tendon, its normal sliding in the vaginal area is disturbed.
Hygroma on the fingers gives a person considerable inconvenience, because as it grows and develops, it forces him to keep his finger in a bent state.
Causes
Since a hygroma is a tumor that grows from tendon sheaths or joint capsules, such a neoplasm can form on any part of the body where there is connective tissue. Until now, the exact causes leading to the development of hygroma have not been established.
It is generally accepted that this neoplasm is a consequence of the impact on the body of a number of factors, including:
previous injury. After a single injury to a joint or tendon, the likelihood of a hygroma is 30%.
hereditary predisposition. In blood relatives, hygromas occur more often.
Belonging to the female gender. It has been established that the tumor appears three times more often in the representatives of the weaker sex. The average age of diagnosis of the disease is 20-30 years.
Features of the profession. At risk for the development of hygroma of the fingers are machinists, programmers, pianists, massage therapists, seamstresses, laundresses and other people whose work is related to manual labor.
Postponed operations on tendons and joints.
Bursitis and tendovaginitis.
Determination of the cause that led to the formation of the hygroma and its elimination will minimize the risk of the tumor reappearing after its removal.
Symptoms of hygroma on the finger
On the back of the fingers, hygromas most often form at the base of the distal phalanx, or at the base of the interphalangeal joint. The skin over the tumor stretches and becomes thin. The lipoma itself is represented by a rounded and dense neoplasm, which most often does not hurt. Discomfort can only occur if the tumor has been injured, for example, after receiving a bruise.
If the hygroma is formed on the fingers from the side of the palm, then it originates from the tendon sheath of the flexors. Such hygromas reach large sizes, they can occupy 1-2 phalanges in area. The tumor will continue to grow, increasing pressure on the tissues of the finger and on its nerve endings. Therefore, such hygromas are very painful and cause severe discomfort to a person, disrupting the function of his limb.
The person feels that the tendon seems to be “stuck”, colliding with an obstacle. After some application of force, it slips further. At this time, you can hear a characteristic click.
Fluctuation of the hygroma of the fingers is found more often than with hygromas of other localization. As a result of injury, the hygroma may open. At the same time, its contents will be released through the existing hole for a long time. It is represented by a whitish-yellow liquid, which has a fairly thick consistency. If an infection gets into the wound, then signs of inflammation will appear: the skin over the hygroma swells, turns red, and the local body temperature rises.
As a rule, hygromas grow slowly, the average diameter of the tumor on the fingers is 1-2 cm, but sometimes they reach 6 cm or more.
Diagnostics
To make a diagnosis, you need to go to the doctor. You need to contact the surgeon. The standard study that allows you to identify hygroma is ultrasound. This method provides information about the size, consistency and exact location of the tumor.
To exclude osteoarticular pathology, the patient is sent for x-rays.
If there is a suspicion of a nodular structure of the tumor, then the person is recommended to undergo an MRI. This is a highly informative method that allows you to determine the structure of the wall of the hygroma, as well as its content. However, MRI is rarely used because the study is expensive.
Hygroma puncture is performed when the doctor has doubts about the benign nature of the tumor. The collected fluid is sent for histological examination. In addition, a puncture can be prescribed not only for diagnostic, but also for therapeutic purposes. As an independent method of treating hygroma, it is not effective, because after its implementation, the tumor will again fill with fluid. However, if a person has contraindications to the operation, and the hygroma causes him severe pain, then the puncture allows for some time to alleviate his well-being.
It is important to distinguish finger hygroma from diseases such as:
Atheroma.
Lipoma.
Malignant neoplasm.
Bone and cartilage growths.
Artery aneurysms.
Epithelial traumatic cysts, etc.
As a rule, the diagnosis of hygroma is not difficult and the doctor makes a preliminary diagnosis already during the first examination of the patient.
Complications
Although the hygroma does not degenerate into a malignant tumor, this does not mean that it does not pose a danger to human health.
Possible complications of a finger tumor include:
Spontaneous opening of the hygroma during injury. In this case, the risk of infection of the wound and adjacent tissues increases.
Deterioration of the sensitivity of the affected finger due to the pressure of the hygroma on the nerve fibers.
The appearance of severe shooting pains in the fingers, which resemble the clinic of neuralgia.
Deterioration of the blood supply to the finger above the area where the hygroma is located. This will lead to thinning of the skin, destruction of the nail plate, the appearance of pustular wounds.
The larger the size of the hygroma, the higher the likelihood of complications. Therefore, it is necessary to start treatment in the early stages of tumor formation.
Treatment of hygroma on the fingers
In past years, they tried to get rid of the hygroma by methods such as:
Kneading and crushing. In this case, the internal contents of the cyst were forcibly distributed over the joint. This procedure is accompanied by severe pain. The method was recognized as ineffective, since the recurrence of the disease is observed in 100% of cases. The fact is that the entire shell of the tumor remains inside and continues to produce fluid. In addition, there is a possibility of the appearance of new cysts on the background of the injury.
Hygroma puncture. This method provides only temporary relief. A few months later, the tumor will fill up again.
Puncture with the use of enzymes or sclerosing drugs. As practice shows, relapses after such treatment occur in about 80% of cases. At the same time, there is a high risk of the drug getting into healthy tissues, which can lead to impaired performance of the joints or tendons.
Physiotherapeutic methods of treatment are designed not to reduce the size of the hygroma, but to remove the inflammatory reaction that can develop due to compression of the surrounding tissues by the tumor. These methods of treatment include: tissue heating, ultrasound treatment, magnetotherapy, electrophoresis, paraffin therapy, salt and soda baths. Recently, such methods of exposure have been abandoned, since increased blood supply to the hygroma leads to the fact that it quickly increases in size and grows.
Conservative methods of treatment with the use of drugs can be used to eliminate aseptic, that is, not purulent inflammation. For this purpose, drugs from the NSAID group are used to reduce pain and the intensity of the inflammatory reaction. Antihistamines are used to relieve swelling.
Antibiotics for hygroma infection are used only in a complex treatment regimen, along with surgical intervention.
As practice has shown, all these methods of treating hygroma are ineffective. In order to get rid of the tumor and minimize the likelihood of its recurrence, surgical intervention is necessary.
Operation to remove hygroma on the fingers
The operation to remove the hygroma is prescribed for the following indications:
Limited mobility in the fingers.
Pain during movement and at rest.
Cosmetic defect, which is a tumor.
Rapid growth of hygroma.
Surgery does not require hospitalization of the patient. The average time it takes is 30 minutes. The patient is given local anesthesia, after which the tissues above the tumor are dissected and its membrane is removed along with the contents. No preliminary opening of the hygroma is required. The incision is then closed with sutures and covered with a sterile dressing. The limb itself is fixed with a plaster splint. Immobilization is a prerequisite for removing hygroma on the fingers. The sutures are removed after 7-10 days.
The modern method of removing hygroma is its excision with a laser. During the procedure, the vessels will be instantly cauterized, which will prevent the development of bleeding. In addition, exposure to high temperatures minimizes the risk of wound infection. The procedure is fast. If the hygroma is small, then it will be possible to remove it in 15-20 minutes.
[Video] Doctor Egorov – hygroma of the hand. Get rid easily!