What are Tarlov cysts?

Tarlov cysts (also known as meningeal cysts or perineural cysts) are fluid-filled sacs that are usually found at the bottom of the spine (the sacrum). The cysts appear in the roots of the nerves that grow out of the spinal cord.

Shock or trauma of the spine, or exertion, can cause spinal fluid in the cysts to build up. Most Tarlov cysts cause no symptoms. However, if these cysts press against the roots of the nerves, they can cause a variety of symptoms, including:

• Lower back pain
• Sciatica (shock-like or burning pain in the lower back, buttocks, and down one leg to below the knee)
• Loss of bladder control (urinary incontinence)
• Headaches (due to changes in spinal-fluid pressure)

• Constipation
• Sexual dysfunction
• Some loss of feeling or control of movement in the legs and/or feet

Pressure on the nerves next to the cysts also can cause pain and the surrounding bone to deteriorate (decay). Acute (short-term) and chronic (long-term) pain may require changes in a person's lifestyle.

If the cysts are not treated, nerve root compression can cause permanent damage to the nervous system. Women are at much higher risk of developing these cysts than men. For some people, Tarlov cysts that cause long-term (chronic) symptoms can lead to depression.

How can I or my loved one help improve care for people with Tarlov cysts?

Consider participating in a clinical trial so clinicians and scientists can learn more about Tarlov cysts and related disorders. Clinical research uses human volunteers to help researchers learn more about a disorder and perhaps find better ways to safely detect, treat, or prevent disease.

All types of volunteers are needed—those who are healthy or may have an illness or disease—of all different ages, sexes, races, and ethnicities to ensure that study results apply to as many people as possible, and that treatments will be safe and effective for everyone who will use them.

The tailbone is the small bone at the bottom of your backbone, or spine. Tailbone disorders include tailbone injuries, pain, infections, cysts and tumors. You rarely break your tailbone. Instead, most injuries cause bruises or pulled ligaments. A backward fall onto a hard surface, such as slipping on ice, is the most common cause of such injuries. Symptoms of various tailbone disorders include pain in the tailbone area, pain upon sitting, pain or numbness in the arms or legs due to pressure on nerves in the tailbone area, and a mass or growth you can see or feel.

Tumors are abnormal growths in your body. They can be either benign or malignant. Benign tumors aren't cancer. Malignant ones are. Benign tumors grow only in one place. They cannot spread or invade other parts of your body. Even so, they can be dangerous if they press on vital organs, such as your brain.

Tumors are made up of extra cells. Normally, cells grow and divide to form new cells as your body needs them. When cells grow old, they die, and new cells take their place. Sometimes, this process goes wrong. New cells form when your body does not need them, and old cells do not die when they should. These extra cells can divide without stopping and may form tumor.

Treatment often involves surgery. Benign tumors usually don't grow back.

The axial skeleton of the adult consists of 80 bones, including the skull, the vertebral column, and the thoracic cage. The skull is formed by 22 bones. Also associated with the head are an additional seven bones, including the hyoid bone and the ear ossicles (three small bones found in each middle ear). The vertebral column consists of 24 bones, each called a vertebra, plus the sacrum and coccyx. The thoracic cage includes the 12 pairs of ribs, and the sternum, the flattened bone of the anterior chest.

Figure 7.2 Axial and Appendicular Skeleton The axial skeleton supports the head, neck, back, and chest and thus forms the vertical axis of the body. It consists of the skull, vertebral column (including the sacrum and coccyx), and the thoracic cage, formed by the ribs and sternum. The appendicular skeleton is made up of all bones of the upper and lower limbs.

• Lower back or buttocks pain
• Stomach or pelvic pain
• Changes in sensation like numbness and weakness (sciatica)
• Bowel and bladder control problems
• Impotence (sexual dysfunction)

• Neurosurgeon
• Interventional neuroradiologist
• Pain management specialist
• Urologist