I just recently got an MRI of my spine after going to a pain management doctor. I finally went to pick up my test results and it showed that I have to tarlov cysts. Unfortunately I’m not able to get in to see this doctor until end of December or early next year. I’m not sure what to do. if I should go see my primary doctor with this information, or my neurologist, or my neurosurgeon. Has anybody been diagnosed with tarlov cyst before?
I do not like the movement in health care of releasing imaging information without medical interpretation and advice at the same time. It freaks people out if they have serious OR benign findings. Average people have no clue on how to figure out and weigh the information provided in an imaging report. My father-in-law (in his 70’s) brought me a copy of his lumbar MRI. He thought that he was going to end up in a wheel chair, and I thought that he had the spine of a healthy 30 year old.
From the article and given treatment options, it seems that a neurosurgeon would be in the best position to determine if the cyst is a concern or not in your own personal situation. Since you seem to have an in with a neurosurgeon, hopefully a consult could be a possibility. A primary doctor or a neurologist would be a waste of time in my opinion. The pain management doctor’s input may be of value but they may not have the skills to read the actual MRI images to determine their significance in your presentation.
Of course the site is directed from a neurosurgeon’s perspective but it is hard to argue with them being the best option given a cyst is a space-occupying mass - changed anatomy!
Good luck with navigating the health care system during these times.