Diagnosing Tarlov Cyst Disease

Tarlov/perineural cysts are are cysts filled with cerebrospinal fluid that can develop around the spinal nerves, often in the sacral regions of the spine (95% of cases). In this exclusive interview with Rare Disease Report. Reta Honey Hiers, executive director and president of the Tarlov Cyst Disease Foundation talks about the problems of getting a proper diagnosis. Diagnosing Tarlov cysts is problematic for three reasons: 1) These cysts can create a plethora of symptoms that make it difficult to diagnose. 2) One of the main symptoms - back pain - usually lead clinicians to only take images above the sacral region. As a result, the sacral-located cysts are not imaged. 3) Even if the cysts are imaged, many doctors dismiss the cysts as not being symptomatic. For more information, visit www.tarlovcystfoundation.org