Cyst: Difference between revisions
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:''For the [[ICAO airport code]] '''CYST''' see [[St. Theresa Point Airport]].'' |
:''For the [[ICAO airport code]] '''CYST''' see [[St. Theresa Point Airport]].'' |
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:''For hard-shelled resting stages of some small organisms, see [[Microbial cyst]].'' |
:''For hard-shelled resting stages of some small organisms, see [[Microbial cyst]].'' |
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A '''cyst''' (soft "c", rhymes with "list") is a closed sac having a distinct [[biological membrane|membrane]] and [[division]] on the nearby [[Biological tissue|tissue]]. They may contain [[air]], fluids, or semi-solid material. A collection of [[pus]] is called an [[abscess]], not a cyst. Once formed, the cyst will remain in the tissue permanently and can be removed by surgery |
A '''cyst''' (soft "c", rhymes with "list") is a closed sac having a distinct [[biological membrane|membrane]] and [[division]] on the nearby [[Biological tissue|tissue]]. They may contain [[air]], fluids, or semi-solid material. A collection of [[pus]] is called an [[abscess]], not a cyst. Once formed, the cyst will remain in the tissue permanently and can be removed by surgery or by taking medication that will dissolve it. |
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A cyst may also be a sack that encloses an organism during a [[dormancy|dormant]] period, such as in the case of certain parasites. This type of cyst may, for instance, protect a parasite from the acid of the stomach so it may pass through to the intestines unharmed where it can then break out. |
A cyst may also be a sack that encloses an organism during a [[dormancy|dormant]] period, such as in the case of certain parasites. This type of cyst may, for instance, protect a parasite from the acid of the stomach so it may pass through to the intestines unharmed where it can then break out. |
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Revision as of 00:02, 30 November 2007
- This is an article about cysts in the body.
- For the ICAO airport code CYST see St. Theresa Point Airport.
- For hard-shelled resting stages of some small organisms, see Microbial cyst.
A cyst (soft "c", rhymes with "list") is a closed sac having a distinct membrane and division on the nearby tissue. They may contain air, fluids, or semi-solid material. A collection of pus is called an abscess, not a cyst. Once formed, the cyst will remain in the tissue permanently and can be removed by surgery or by taking medication that will dissolve it.
A cyst may also be a sack that encloses an organism during a dormant period, such as in the case of certain parasites. This type of cyst may, for instance, protect a parasite from the acid of the stomach so it may pass through to the intestines unharmed where it can then break out. Cystic fibrosis is an example of a genetic disorder whereby cysts and fibrosis develop in the lungs.
Locations
- Arachnoid cyst (between the surface of the brain and the cranial base or on the arachnoid membrane)
- Breast cyst
- Chalazion cyst (eyelid)
- Cysticercal cyst (the larval stage of Taenia sp.)
- Dentigerous Cyst (associated with the crowns of non-erupted teeth)
- Dermoid cyst (ovaries, testes, many other locations from head to tailbone)
- Epididymal Cyst (found in the vessels attached to the testes)
- Ganglion cyst (hand/foot joints and tendons)
- Glial Cyst (in the brain)
- Gartner's duct cyst (vaginal or vulvar cyst of embryological origin)
- Hydatid cyst (larval stage of Echinococcus granulosus)
- Keratocyst (in the jaws, these can appear solitary or associated with the Gorlin-Goltz or Nevoid basal cell carcinoma syndrome. The latest World Health Organization classification considers Keratocysts as tumors rather than cysts)
- Meibomian cyst (eyelid)
- Nabothian cyst (cervix)
- Ovarian cyst (ovaries, functional and pathological)
- Paratubal cyst (fallopian tube)
- Pilonidal cyst (skin infection near tailbone)
- Renal cyst (kidneys)
- Polycystic ovary syndrome
- Radicular cyst (associated with the roots of non-vital teeth)
- Sebaceous cyst (sac below skin)
- Tarlov cyst (spine)
- Vocal fold cyst
Benign vs malignant
Many cysts in the body are benign (functional), the result of plugged ducts or other natural body outlets for secretions. However, a few are tumors or are produced within tumors, and are potentially malignant:
Related structures
A pseudocyst is collection without a distinct membrane.
A syrinx in the spinal cord or brainstem is sometimes inaccurately referred to as a cyst.
External links
- Template:FPnotebook
- "Cyst Symptoms and Causes" by Melissa Conrad Stöppler, MD and William C. Shiel, Jr., MD, FACP, FACR.
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