Dr. tried to aspirate a possible ganglion cyst????

Hello,
      Yesterday I had an appointment at the orthopedic surgeons office to have him look at a strange lump on my ankle. The lump is more prodominent when the foot is flexed forward and not as noticeable when flat. It is soft when flat and sortof firm squishy when flexed. Anyway, I asked him if it could possibly be a ganglion cyst and he said it was possible so he tried to aspirate it with a really long needle. Blood came out at first and then what looked like blood a brownish red color came out after that. He said the fluid was to thin to be cyst material and stopped aspiration. He set me up with a MRI and told me he would see me after the MRI and left the room. I didnt get to ask him what all of that meant? A little scared and confused.  Can you get tumors in the ankle area? It is not painful. If it were to be a malignant tumor would the aspiration with the needle spread the cancer cells?????? Are there other things that grow on the ankle area bsides tumors? Will an MRI show all? Thank you for your advise.BW

[Kevin Pho, MD]

Hello - thanks for asking your question.

Without seeing the lesion, it is impossible for me to say what it is.  

Lipomas, fibromas, neuromas, dorsal exostoses, periarticular calcaneus deposits, giant cell tumors, and synovial cysts are benign lesions that can occur as solitary or multiple lesions.  Sarcomas are rare, but metastatic lesions to the digits can occur.

An MRI can determine whether this is a ganglion cyst versus any other disease.  This is a very accurate test with studies suggesting a positive predictive value approaching 100 percent for diagnosis of a ganglion cyst.  

If the MRI shows anything else, the next step would be a biopsy of the lesion to give a definitive answer.

Followup with your personal physician is essential.

This answer is not intended as and does not substitute for medical advice - the information presented is for patient education only. Please see your personal physician for further evaluation of your individual case.

Thanks,
Kevin, M.D.

[surgeon]

Tumors can occur anywhere, but anything that's fluid-filled is pretty unlikely to be a tumor. MRI can help to show what it is. No test is perfect, however.

[dafreeds]

I have the same lump on my ankle.  It is similar to your description.  It doesn't appear too much when the ankle is bent, but when flexed, it shows quite well.  It is generally hard, but a little softer that bone.  It doesn't hurt, but it is a concern.  My neighbor, who works in medical records, believes it may be a Bakers cyst, but that seems to occur only in knee joints and is usually large -- like the size of a golf ball.  When you find out what you have, please send me an e-mail or update this thread.  I will continue to do more research and hopefully we can figure this out.

Thanks.