Study Design. Patients are often referred for the evaluation of neck o
r radiating shoulder or arm pain who are suspected of having a possibl
e cervical spine origin of their symptoms. Careful evaluation may show
ganglion cysts of the glenohumeral joint mimicking symptoms of cervic
al radiculopathy. Objectives. To present a series of patients in whom
cysts originating from the glenohumeral joint caused symptoms mimickin
g cervical radiculopathy. Summary of Background Data. Suprascapular ne
rve entrapment in the suprascapular notch by ganglion cysts from the g
lenohumeral joint has been described as the source of vague radicular
symptoms. This paper presents a series of a patients referred to a spi
ne practice for the evaluation of cervical radiculopathy who actually
had glenoid cysts mimicking cervical radiculopathy. Methods. Three hun
dred forty-two patients were evaluated for cervical radiculopathy; of
these, eight had glenoid cysts that were the source of the patients' s
ymptoms. Results. All eight patients had a positive shoulder impingeme
nt sign, or, in all, symptoms were temporarily relieved with intra-art
icular lidocaine injection. Four of the eight patients had abnormal el
ectromyelography and nerve conduction velocity for suprascapular nerve
compression. Magnetic resonance imaging of the shoulder was diagnosti
c in all eight patients. Conclusion. Proper evaluation of the shoulder
must be done because it may mimic symptoms of cervical radiculopathy.