I would like to know why I keep getting cysts. I have had one taken out of my knee and urethra. I had one on my ovary that burst. One on my brain that is benign and two on the liver also benign.
What causes this and what can I do? The ones on my liver were just found but I have had pain for two years. Ultrasound in December showed nothing but CT last week showed them. I have a dry cough as well. Why would one test show nothing and them another show them?

Hi,

Thanks for posting your query

It is difficult to ascribe one single reason for cysts in multiple organs and the causes would vary from organ to organ:
a.     Cysts in the joints usually arise from the bursae which are fluid filled sacs which reduce the friction between the joints. These cysts arise secondary to an inflammatory process which may be triggered by an injury.
b.     Cysts outside the joints and below the skin can arise from the sebaceous glands due to a block in the duct.
c.     Cysts in the urethra can arise due to a blockage in the glands which surround the urethra.
d.     Ovarian cysts are common in women in the child bearing age group when the follicle in the ovary fails to rupture and the fluid remains in the follicle to form a follicular cyst. There are other types of ovarian cysts as well.
e.     Cysts in the brain and liver can arise due to a parasitic infection. This can occur as a result of infection with tapeworm Taenia solium or an organism called Entamoeba histolytica. They will regress with anti-helmonthic therapy and treatment of amoebiasis.

A computerised tomography scan (CT scan) is a much more sensitive investigation than an ultrasound and can actually analyze very thin slices of the various organs. Further, it is possible that the cysts may not have been there when the ultrasonography was performed. That is a reason why the cysts could have been picked up on a CT scan and not on an ultrasonography.

As I believe that more information can help a physician help a patient better, I would request you to answer the following questions:
a. Do you have a history of diarrhoea, fever or abdominal pain?
b. Has a stool examination been done for you? If yes, can you please upload the reports?
c. Was a histopathological examination done when the cysts were removed from the knee and the urethra? If yes, can you please upload the reports?
d. Additionally, can you please upload the report of your latest CT scan?


If these investigations have not been done, I would suggest that the following investigations be done for you:
a.     Complete blood count
b.     Stool examination


Awaiting your reply
Regards
Wishing you a speedy recovery

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