Adventitial cysts of the radial artery are joint connected

Volar radial wrist masses are common. Adventitial cysts of the radial artery are rarely reported and poorly understood. We describe a case series of adventitial cysts in association with the radial artery and detail their pathophysiology and treatment. We conducted an Institutional Review Board-approved retrospective review of patients treated at our institution from 1997 to 2018. Twelve patients were identified. Presenting symptoms typically included pain and swelling over the volar radial wrist. High-resolution magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) demonstrated tubular, cystic lesions within the adventitia of the radial artery with connections to the wrist joint confirmed on multiplanar imaging: (radiocarpal joint = 10; scaphotrapeziotrapezoidal joint = 1; and intercarpal joint = 1). Seven patients underwent operation, at which time the cyst was resected and the articular branch disconnected. These patients reported resolution of their symptoms without clinical recurrence. The consistent finding of a joint connection in these cases of adventitial cysts associated with the radial artery has important clinical implications. The joint connection needs to be disconnected. Level of evidence: Level IV, case series. Clin. Anat. 32:201–205, 2019.