A systematic review of the efficacy of surgical intervention in the management of symptomatic Tarlov cysts: a meta-analysis

Introduction: Tarlov cysts (TC) are sacral perineural cysts that are often found incidentally during spinal imaging. In a small fraction, symptomatic TC can cause pain, bowel, bladder and/or sexual dysfunction, as well as motor and sensory deficits. While many surgeons regard TCs as a non-operative entity, there have been suggestions that operative intervention in carefully selected symptomatic patients may be beneficial. The aim of this …