Specific risk associated with the procedure:
- Approximately 10% of the cysts recur, despite surgery.
- The condition is associated with early wear and tear in the joint, which may develop into osteoarthritis in the long term.
- There is a very slight risk of damage to the nail bed during the operation, leading to permanent deformity of the nail.
General surgery risk
With planned operations about 5% of patients have a post-operative problem, of which the vast majority are temporary and do not affect the final result.
Infection
After a few days increasing pain, swelling and redness may develop. Treatment with antibiotics is usually sufficient.
Wound healing problems
Excessive bleeding, causing a painful swollen wound (haematoma) or delayed healing may slow down the recovery. A few people react badly to the dissolving suture material, which can lead to localised areas of tenderness and swelling persisting for a couple of months.
Swelling and stiffness
It is very important to elevate and exercise the hand after an operation or injury. Occasionally the swelling is severe, prolonged and associated with pain, due to the development of the poorly understood condition called complex regional pain syndrome (CRPS). This occurs unpredictably and is treated by physiotherapy and pain tablets. It very rarely leads to compromising the function of the hand permanently.
Scar tenderness
All scars are tender for at least two months, sometimes longer. In about 10% of people the scar, after healing well initially, thickens and becomes itchy, red and more painful. If this happens the full process of maturation of the scar (settling down to normal, thin, mobile skin) can take more than a year. Occasionally nerves running in or just under the skin at the site of an incision are damaged, resulting in persistent tenderness of the scar.
