Results of surgical treatment of patients with carpal tunnel syndrome depending on the severity of the disease

Abstract

Introduction Although surgical treatment of carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS) is known to be highly effective outcomes may not be equally satisfactory for the patients due to severity of clinical presentation and objectifying assessment of the condition. Purpose Provide clinical evaluation of outcomes of surgical treatment of CTS using questionnaires and electroneuromyography (ENMG) findings depending on baseline severity of the condition. Material and methods The review included 161 patients who underwent 189 operations of open decompression of the median nerve using mini-access. The patients were assigned to three groups with mild (Group I), moderate (Group II) and severe (Group III) CTS. Evaluations were produced at 6 weeks, 3, 6 and 12 months following the surgery. Results The majority of patients showed positive dynamics, and delayed recovery of the wrist function was noted in Group III at a 12-month follow-up. Patients of Group III exhibited spasmodic improvement of the wrist function at 6-week-to-3-month follow-up. Conclusion Open decompression of the median nerve performed for patients with CTS using mini-approach facilitated substantial clinical and functional improvement in most cases. However, the most favorable results could be provided for mild and moderate CTS.

Keywords

• carpal tunnel syndrome
• surgical treatment