The Micropathology of the Typical Carpal Tunnel Syndrome

1986 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
pp. 131-132
Author(s):  
D. K. FAITHFULL ◽  
D. H. MOIR ◽  
J. IRELAND
Keyword(s):  
Carpal Tunnel Syndrome ◽  
Carpal Tunnel ◽  
Synovial Membrane ◽  
Clinical Presentation ◽  
Tendon Sheath ◽  
The Other ◽  
Perivascular Inflammation ◽  
Tunnel Syndrome ◽  
Typical Picture

The synovial membrane in the carpal tunnel of twenty-nine patients suffering from the typical clinical picture of carpal tunnel syndrome was examined microscopically over an eighteen month period with a follow-up of six months to two years. Unusual causes such as tendon sheath tumours and post-Colles fractures were excluded. Three micropathological pictures emerged. Oedema was found in twenty-four patients, chronic perivascular inflammation in three and fibrinous synovitis in two. No difference was detected in the clinical presentation in the three pathological appearances. The authors believe that oedema is the typical picture and the other two appearances could indicate irritation of the synovial membrane as a result of finger activity.

scholarly journals Spectral Clustering Reveals Different Profiles of Central Sensitization in Women with Carpal Tunnel Syndrome

Symmetry ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (6) ◽  
pp. 1042
Author(s):  
Oscar J. Pellicer-Valero ◽  
José D. Martín-Guerrero ◽  
César Fernández-de-las-Peñas ◽  
Ana I. De-la-Llave-Rincón ◽  
Jorge Rodríguez-Jiménez ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Carpal Tunnel Syndrome ◽  
Clinical Features ◽  
Carpal Tunnel ◽  
Spectral Clustering ◽  
Grip Force ◽  
The Other ◽  
Pressure Pain ◽  
Thermal Pain ◽  
Pressure Pain Thresholds ◽  
Tunnel Syndrome

Identification of subgroups of patients with chronic pain provides meaningful insights into the characteristics of a specific population, helping to identify individuals at risk of chronification and to determine appropriate therapeutic strategies. This paper proposes the use of spectral clustering (SC) to distinguish subgroups (clusters) of individuals with carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS), making use of the obtained patient profiling to argue about potential management implications. SC is a powerful algorithm that builds a similarity graph among the data points (the patients), and tries to find the subsets of points that are strongly connected among themselves, but weakly connected to others. It was chosen due to its advantages with respect to other simpler clustering techniques, such as k-means, and the fact that it has been successfully applied to similar problems. Clinical (age, duration of symptoms, pain intensity, function, and symptom severity), psycho-physical (pressure pain thresholds—PPTs—over the three main nerve trunks of the upper extremity, cervical spine, carpal tunnel, and tibialis anterior), psychological (depressive levels), and motor (pinch tip grip force) variables were collected in 208 women with clinical/electromyographic diagnosis of CTS, whose symptoms usually started unilaterally but eventually evolved into bilateral symmetry. SC was used to identify clusters of patients without any previous assumptions, yielding three clusters. Patients in cluster 1 exhibited worse clinical features, higher widespread pressure pain hyperalgesia, higher depressive levels, and lower pinch tip grip force than the other two. Patients in cluster 2 showed higher generalized thermal pain hyperalgesia than the other two. Cluster 0 showed less hypersensitivity to pressure and thermal pain, less severe clinical features, and more normal motor output (tip grip force). The presence of subgroups of individuals with different altered nociceptive processing (one group being more sensitive to pressure pain and another group more sensitive to thermal pain) could lead to different therapeutic programs.

scholarly journals Efficacy of Hyalase Hydrodissection in the Treatment of Carpal Tunnel Syndrome: A Randomized, Double-Blind, Controlled, Clinical Trial

2020 ◽  
Vol 2;23 (4;2) ◽  
pp. E175-E183
Author(s):  
Emad Zarief Kamel
Keyword(s):  
Carpal Tunnel Syndrome ◽  
Median Nerve ◽  
Carpal Tunnel ◽  
Nerve Conduction ◽  
Saline Solution ◽  
Controlled Clinical Trial ◽  
Tunnel Syndrome ◽  
Group 2 ◽  
Group 1

Background: Carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS) is the most common entrapment neuropathy, which results from median nerve compression. A lot of nonsurgical modalities are available for the management of mild to moderate situations. Local Hyalase hydrodissection (HD) of the entrapped median nerve could offer a desirable sustained symptom alleviation. Objectives: To evaluate the clinical efficacy of Hyalase/saline solution carpal tunnel HD on pain, functional status, and nerve conduction in patients with CTS. Study Design: A randomized, double-blinded trial. Setting: Anesthesia, pain, and rheumatology clinics in a university hospital. Methods: Patients: 60 patients with CTS (> 6 months’ duration). Intervention: patients were allocated equally into either group 1 (HD with Hyalase + 10 mL saline solution injection), or group 2 (HD with 10 mL saline solution only). Measurements: assessment of pain using Visual Analog Scale (VAS), functional disability (FD) score, and nerve conduction studies before injection, and over 6 months after injection. Nerve conduction parameters before injection and postinjection by the end of 3 and 6 months were evaluated as well. Results: Statistically significant lower postinjection values of VAS (1 ± 1.8, 2 ± 1.1, 2 ± 1.2, 2 ± 1.1) in group 1 versus (2 ± 1.2, 3 ± 1.7, 4 ± 1.5, 5 ± 2.6) in group 2 by the end of the first week, and the first, third, and sixth months, and significantly lower FD scores (15.3 ± 1.2, 13 ± 1.3, 10.2 ± 1.3, 10.2 ± 1.3) in group 1 versus (17.5 ± 1.8, 16.6 ± 2.8, 19.4 ± 3.2, 21.2 ± 2.5) in group 2 during the same time intervals. Nerve conduction study parameters have shown significantly higher velocity and lower latency in the Hyalase group than in the saline solution group by the 3 and 6 month follow-up. Limitation: We suggest a longer period could be reasonable. Conclusions: Carpal tunnel HD with Hyalase with saline solution is considered as an efficient technique offering a rapid onset of pain relief and functional improvements, and better median nerve conduction in patients with CTS over 6 months follow-up duration. Key words: Carpal tunnel syndrome, Hyalase, median nerve hydrodissection

Pathology of the Flexor Tendon Sheath in the Spontaneous Carpal Tunnel Syndrome

1987 ◽  
Vol 12 (2) ◽  
pp. 229-232
Author(s):  
N. C. NEAL ◽  
J. McMANNERS ◽  
G. A. STIRLING
Keyword(s):  
Carpal Tunnel Syndrome ◽  
Carpal Tunnel ◽  
Flexor Tendon ◽  
Tendon Sheath ◽  
Vascular Lesions ◽  
Foreign Body Giant Cell ◽  
Pathological Changes ◽  
Histological Features ◽  
Flexor Tendon Sheath ◽  
Tunnel Syndrome

The histological features of the flexor tendon sheath in the spontaneous carpal tunnel syndrome were studied. The main differences between our findings and previous studies were twofold. Firstly a striking absence of inflammation in our material and secondly the diversity of the pathological changes encountered — alterations in the connective tissue especially the collagen; proliferation with thickening of the tissues of the tendon sheath; fibrosis; amyloid deposition; oedema; vascular lesions including thickening of vessels walls, intimal hyperplasia, and thrombosis; and a foreign body giant cell reaction. Although the lesions described here may not be significant in every case in which they are encountered, they do appear to support the view that pressure in the carpal tunnel and ischaemia are the important factors in a majority of cases of the spontaneous carpal tunnel syndrome.

Experimentally and Theoretically Narrowing Carpal Arch Width to Increase the Area Formed by the Transverse Carpal Ligament

2011 ◽  
Author(s):  
Suk H. Yu ◽  
Tracy A. Mondello ◽  
Zong-Ming Li
Keyword(s):  
Carpal Tunnel Syndrome ◽  
Median Nerve ◽  
Carpal Tunnel ◽  
Transverse Carpal Ligament ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Arch Width ◽  
Endoscopic Release ◽  
Volar Aspect ◽  
Tunnel Syndrome

Carpal tunnel syndrome is conventionally treated by open and endoscopic release surgeries in which transecting the transverse carpal ligament (TCL) relieves mechanical insults around the median nerve. The TCL release surgeries yield an increase in the tunnel cross-sectional area particularly within the volar aspect of the tunnel, the arch area, where the median nerve is located. As a result of increased arch area, post-operative follow-up studies using MRI confirmed a significant volar migration of the median nerve [1]. However, transecting the TCL compromises critical biomechanical roles of the carpal tunnel [2], and therefore, it is imperative to investigate an alternative method for treating carpal tunnel syndrome patients while preserving the TCL. Li et al. suggested that increasing the TCL length and narrowing the carpal arch width (CAW) as potential alternatives for increasing the arch area [3]. However, the data from their application of palmarly directed forces to the TCL from inside of the tunnel showed that the TCL length remained relatively constant while the carpal bones were mobilized to increase the arch area [3]. The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between CAW narrowing and the TCL-formed arch area by experimental and geometrical modeling.

Evaluation of the Efficacy of Ultrasound Therapy in the Treatment of Patients with Carpal Tunnel Syndrome

2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
pp. 24-27
Author(s):  
Nadia Siddiquee ◽  
Farzana Akonjee Mishu ◽  
Monzur Ahmed ◽  
Shaila Sharmin Shahnewaz ◽  
Hashina Bilkish Banu ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Carpal Tunnel Syndrome ◽  
Carpal Tunnel ◽  
Controlled Trial ◽  
Ultrasound Therapy ◽  
Symptom Severity Scale ◽  
Group A ◽  
Tunnel Syndrome ◽  
Group B ◽  
Wrist Splint

This randomized controlled trial was conducted in Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University, Dhaka during the period from March 2014 to August 2014 to evaluate the effect of ultrasound therapy (UST) on patients of carpal tunnel syndrome. Total 110 subjects were participated in this study and they were selected randomly divided in two groups by lottery. Group-A was treated with UST, Exercise, Wrist splint, non steroidal anti inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) and group-B received Exercise, Wrist splint and NSAIDs. Treatment continued for a period of 6 weeks. Group-A were compared to group B by both Visual Analog Scale (VAS) and Levine Symptom severity scale(LSSS) after 3 weeks and 6weeks of treatment. The result showed mean VAS at pretreatment (W0) in group-A was 6.42 ±1.23 and in group-B was 6.17±0.74. Group-A was 1.82±0.43 and in group-B was 3.1±0.23 in their follow up after 3 weeks (W 3) In Group-A was 1.71(±0.52) and in group-B was 2.52(±0.49) at 2nd follow up (W6) after 6 weeks. Mean LSSSat pretreatment (W0),1st follow up after 3 weeks (W 3), 2nd follow up (W 6) after 6 weeksin group-A was 31.64±1.55, 14.32 ± 2.29 and 14.31 ±1.12 respectively,and in group-B was 31.3±0.74,18.51±0.92and 18.31 ± 0.42 respectively.This study revealed that continuous mode of US therapy with exercise, wrist splint, NSAIDs have better outcome in case of Carpal tunnel syndrome patients. J Shaheed Suhrawardy Med Coll, June 2019, Vol.11(1); 24-27

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document