Pain from the mucous cysts on my fingers is nearly unbearable. I’ve tried everything and still the pain. What choices are there for surgery, and can surgery help?

Needle puncture is one option. In this procedure, the cyst is punctured and aspirated. (Aspiration means drawing the fluid out with suction.) However, this procedure has less than a 50 percent success rate.

Another option involves excision, or removal, of the cyst and its connection to the finger joint. Patients should be aware that removing a mucous cyst may not eliminate pain if the pain is from the underlying osteoarthritis.