What's A Cyst??

Question

Doctors or nurses only please answer.

Answer 1

A cyst is a closed sac having a distinct membrane and division on the nearby tissue. They may contain air, fluids, or semi-solid material. A collection of pus is called an abscess, not a cyst. Once formed, the cyst will remain in the tissue permanently and can be removed by surgery and by taking medication that will dissolve the "sac".

A cyst may also be a sack that encloses an organism during a dormant period, such as in the case of certain parasites. This type of cyst may, for instance, protect a parasite from the churning acid of the stomach so it may pass through to the intestines unharmed where it can then break out. Cystic fibrosis is an example of a genetic disorder whereby cysts and fibrosis develop in the lungs.

There are a lot of different type of cysts which include the following:

* Arachnoid cyst (between the surface of the brain and the cranial base or on the arachnoid membrane)
* Chalazion cyst (eyelid)
* Cysticercal cyst (the larval stage of Taenia sp.)
* Dentigerous Cyst (associated with the crowns of non-erupted teeth)
* Epididymal Cyst (found in the vessels attached to the testes)
* Ganglion cyst (hand/foot joints and tendons)
* Glial Cyst (in the brain)
* Gartner's duct cyst (vaginal or vulvar cyst of embryological origin)
* Keratocyst (in the jaws, these can appear solitary or associated with the Gorlin-Goltz or Nevoid basal cell carcinoma syndrome. The latest World Health Organization classification considers Keratocysts as tumors rather than cysts)
* Meibomian cyst (eyelid)
* Nabothian cyst (cervix)
* Ovarian cyst (ovaries, functional and pathological)
* Paratubal cyst (fallopian tube)
* Pilonidal cyst (skin infection near tailbone)
* Renal cyst (kidneys)
* Radicular cyst (associated with the roots of non-vital teeth)
* Sebaceous cyst (sac below skin)
* Tarlov cyst (spine)
* Vocal fold cyst
* Dermoid cyst (Skull and ovaries)
* Breast cyst

For more information on all these types of cysts go to:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cyst

Otherwise I would recommend consulting with your doctor to see what he/she says.

Good luck :)

Answer 2

Im not a dr. or a nurse but im an ultrasound tech. A cyst is simply a collection of fluid contained in a capsule. They are common to have on the ovaires, kidneys, and liver.

Answer 3

abnormal spherical swelling: a closed, usually spherical, membranous sac that develops abnormally in tissue and contains fluid or semisolid material. Some types of cysts form when glands are blocked, and most are benign.