Contralateral Juxtafacet Cyst Development after the Spontaneous Resolution of a Previous Facet Cyst

ABSTRACT

Juxtafacet cysts are implicated in neural compression. Thus far, it is known that surgical removal is the definitive treatment for symptomatic juxtafacet cyst because spontaneous regression is rare, and the failure rate of conservative treatment is high. We have reported a rare case of right-sided juxtafacet cyst development after the spontaneous resolution of contralateral left-sided facet cyst. The left-sided facet cyst resolved spontaneously without surgical treatment, but a juxtacyst developed on the contralateral facet on the right side, as illustrated on 4-year follow-up magnetic resonance images. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report of newly developed contralateral juxtafacet cyst after spontaneous regression. Herein, we have discussed the natural history and the management of this rare case.