Lumbar Facet Synovial Cysts: Imaging Characteristics and Percutaneous Treatment

Lumbar facet synovial cysts are an important cause of treatable radiculopathy. Radiologists should understand the relevant anatomy and recognize the variable imaging characteristics of lumbar facet synovial cysts for successful diagnosis and treatment. Our aim is to present the imaging characteristics of lumbar facet synovial cysts on MR imaging and CT with a review of image-guided percutaneous rupture techniques.

Learning Objective: Describe the imaging characteristics of lumbar facet synovial cysts and techniques for image-guided percutaneous rupture.