scholarly journals Etiology of Carpal Tunnel Syndrome in a Large Cohort of Children

Children ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 8 (8) ◽  
pp. 624
Author(s):  
Christina T. Rüsch ◽  
Ursula Knirsch ◽  
Daniel M. Weber ◽  
Marianne Rohrbach ◽  
André Eichenberger ◽  
...  

(1) Background: Carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS), a compressive mononeuropathy of the median nerve at the wrist, is rare in childhood and occurs most frequently due to secondary causes. (2) Methods: Medical history, electrodiagnostic findings, and imaging data of patients with CTS from two pediatric neuromuscular centers were analyzed retrospectively. The etiology of CTS was investigated and compared with the literature. (3) Results: We report on a cohort of 38 CTS patients (n = 22 females, n = 29 bilateral, mean age at diagnosis 9.8 years). Electrodiagnostic studies of all patients revealed slowing of the antidromic sensory or orthodromic mixed nerve conduction velocities across the carpal tunnel or lack of the sensory nerve action potential and/or prolonged distal motor latencies. Median nerve ultrasound was diagnostic for CTS and confirmed tumorous and vascular malformations. Etiology was secondary in most patients (n = 29; 76%), and mucopolysaccharidosis was the most frequent underlying condition (n = 14; 37%). Idiopathic CTS was rare in this pediatric cohort (n = 9; 24%). (4) Conclusion: Since CTS in childhood is predominantly caused by an underlying disorder, a thorough evaluation and search for a causative condition is recommended in this age group.

2009 ◽  
Vol 52 (2) ◽  
pp. 63-68 ◽  
Author(s):  
Martin Kanta ◽  
Edvard Ehler ◽  
Jan Kremláček ◽  
Svatopluk Řehák ◽  
David Laštovička ◽  
...  

Endoscopic carpal tunnel syndrome surgery is a modern minimally invasive method of carpal tunnel decompression. However, the method does also have its critics, who emphasize that there is an increased rate of complications in comparison to open procedures. To further improve and optimize results of endoscopic surgery we used an intracarpal pressure sensor to verify the effect of carpal tunnel decompression. The endoscopic single portal approach was used in all cases. Median nerve conduction studies were performed prior to and 3 months after surgery. Two groups, those with pressure studies and those without, were then compared according to several EMG parameters such as: median nerve distal motor latency, amplitude of motor response, sensory nerve conduction velocity to the index finger, and amplitude of sensory nerve action potential. In both groups, we observed similarly significant improvements in all conduction parameters, except the amplitude of motor response, which did not change in either group, i.e. no difference in postoperative EMG between the two groups was observed. Despite this fact, intracarpal pressure measurement is still useful in localising the point in which the median nerve is compressed and provides valuable functional information on the level decompression achieved.


2009 ◽  
Vol 67 (1) ◽  
pp. 69-73 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dante Guilherme Velasco Hardoim ◽  
Guilherme Bueno de Oliveira ◽  
João Aris Kouyoumdjian

OBJECTIVE: To compare a long-term carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS) on nerve conduction studies (NCS) in hands treated non-surgically. METHOD: We retrospectively selected 261 symptomatic CTS hands (166 patients), all of them confirmed by NCS. In all cases, at least 2 NCS were performed in an interval greater than 12 months. Cases with associated polyneuropathy were excluded. NCS parameters for CTS electrodiagnosis included a sensory conduction velocity (SCV) <46.6 m/s (wrist to index finger, 14 cm) and distal motor latency (DML) >4.25 ms (wrist to APB, 8 cm). RESULTS: 92.8% were women; mean age was 49 years (20-76); the mean interval between NCS was 47 months (12-150). In the first exam, the median sensory nerve action potential (SNAP) and the compound action muscular potential were absent in 9.8% and 1.9%, respectively. In the second/last exam, SCV worsened in 54.2%, remained unchanged in 11.6% and improved in 34.2%. SNAP amplitude worsened in 57.7%, remained unchanged in 13.1% and improved in 29.2%. DML worsened in 52.9%, remained unchanged in 7.6% and improved in 39.5%. Overall, NCS parameters worsened in 54.9%, improved in 34.3% and remained unchanged in 10.8%. CONCLUSION: Long-term changing in NCS of CTS hands apparently were not related to clinical symptomatology and could lead to some difficulty in clinical correlation and prognosis. Aging, male gender and absent SNAP were more related to NCS worsening, regardless the mean interval time between the NCS.


2003 ◽  
Vol 61 (1) ◽  
pp. 48-50 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marcelo Ribeiro Caetano

Median nerve entrapment in the palm to wrist segment is known as carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS). Electromyography is the best evaluation test to confirm the disease, as it shows a median reduced conduction velocity and/or conduction block; however, the usual CTS electrodiagnostic tests do not separate segmental demyelination alone from segmental demyelination plus secondary axonal degeneration. We studied 100 hands from CTS patients (classified as mild, moderate, and severe), and 50 hands from normal subjects. The median palmar sensory nerve action potential (SNAP) amplitude was measured and compared between the two groups. It would be expected that SNAP was normal if no axonal degeneration had occurred. The results showed that in mild CTS group and part of moderate CTS group SNAP amplitude was normal, whereas in severe CTS group, and part of moderate group SNAP amplitude was reduced, proving that axonal degeneration was involved. As it is well stated that axonal lesions have worse prognosis than segmental demyelinating ones, this simple test may help to preditic the CTS outcome and treatment.


1999 ◽  
Vol 57 (2A) ◽  
pp. 198-201 ◽  
Author(s):  
JOAO ARIS KOUYOUMDJIAN

According to median sensory nerve action potential onset-latency to index finger in a 140 mm fixed distance, 993 carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS) hands from 668 patients were grouped into MIld (3.0 to 3.5 ms, 384 hands), MOderate (3.6 to 4.4 ms, 332 hands), SEvere (> 4.4 ms, 135 hands) and UNrecordable (142 hands) and correlated with CTS symptomatology duration. All patients have sensory antidromic median-radial latency difference (MRD) e > or = 1.0 ms without any doubt about CTS diagnosis. Patients with systemic disease, trauma or previous surgery were excluded. There is a remarkable cumulative percentage increase from 1 to 12 months in group UN (3.5% to 38.7%, 11 folds), much less than the group MI (13.8% to 54.6%, 3.9 folds). There is also a remarkable non-cumulative percentage increase in group UN, from 1 to 4-12 months; the group MI had a relatively uniform distribution in all symptomatic duration groups from 1 to > 60 months. The conclusion is that median nerve compression at carpal tunnel can lead to unrecordable potentials in a relatively short period from 1 to 12 months of evolution, suggesting acute/subacute deterioration. Electrophysiological evaluation must be done periodically in patients that underwent clinical treatment, since cumulative 38.7% of group UN was found in 12 months period.


2020 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Yuichi Sasaki ◽  
Tohru Terao ◽  
Emiko Saito ◽  
Keiichiro Ohara ◽  
Shotaro Michishita ◽  
...  

Abstract Background Carpal tunnel syndrome is a common peripheral nerve compression disorder. However, there is no established opinion regarding the predictors of symptom improvement after surgery. This study aimed to identify the predictors of surgical outcomes of severe carpal tunnel syndrome patients. Methods In the patients who underwent a carpal tunnel syndrome surgery, we selected the patients who had a preoperative Bland’s classification of grade 5 or 6, and assessed for the changes in Bland’s classification grade before and after surgery. Those who showed improvement from preoperative grades 5–6 to postoperative grades 1–4 comprised the improvement group. In contrast, those who did not show improvement and had postoperative grades 5 or 6 comprised the non-improvement group. In a nerve conduction study, amplitudes of the compound muscle action potential and sensory nerve action potential of the palms were assessed between the improvement and non-improvement groups. Results Among the 60 hands of 46 patients who had a preoperative Bland’s classification of grade 5 or 6, 49 hands of 37 patients comprised the improvement group, and 11 hands of 9 patients comprised the non-improvement group. The amplitudes of the compound muscle action potential and sensory nerve action potential of the palms before surgery were significantly higher in the improvement group. The degree of improvement in Bland’s classification grade was correlated with the degree of clinical symptom improvement. Conclusions Amplitudes of compound muscle action potential and sensory nerve action potential before surgery induced by palmar stimulation can predict improvements in nerve conduction study scores and clinical findings after surgical treatment.


2018 ◽  
Vol 146 (9-10) ◽  
pp. 561-566
Author(s):  
Milica Lazovic ◽  
Mirjana Kocic ◽  
Marija Hrkovic ◽  
Dejan Nikolic ◽  
Ivana Petronic ◽  
...  

Introduction/Objective. The aim of the paper was to evaluate the short-term effectiveness of ultrasound treatment procedure on defined clinical parameters and changes of electrodiagnostic parameters at the median nerve in carpal tunnel syndrome patients. Methods. Thirty-five patients (50 hands) were randomly divided into two groups: the experimental group (EG) (20 patients (29 hands)) and the control group (CG) (15 patients (21 hands)). Twenty sessions of ultrasound treatment were performed over a period of seven weeks and control examination was performed during the eighth week from the initial session. Clinical assessment parameters (pain intensity, superficial sensibility, and Tinel sign), and electrodiagnostic parameters (motor distal latency ? mDL), median sensory nerve conduction velocity (SNCV), and median sensory nerve action potential (SNAP) were assessed both at baseline (T1) and at control (T2). Results. There is significant improvement of pain intensity (T1 ? 10.4/58.6/31; T2 ? 65.5/27.6/6.9; p < 0.001) and superficial sensibility (T1 ? 3.4/69/27.6; T2 ? 44.8/34.5/20.7; p < 0.001) in the EG after the treatment. In the EG, there is significant reduction in frequency of positive Tinel?s sign (T1 ? 100/0; T2 ? 62.1/37.9; p < 0.001), and mDL significantly decreased after the treatment (T1 ? 4.7 ? 1.3; T2 ? 4.5 ? 1.2; p = 0.007), while SNAP (T1 ? 20.2 ? 15.4; T2 ? 24.4 ? 16.5; p < 0.001) and SNCV (T1 ? 36.5 ? 9.8; T2 ? 42.6 ? 9.7; p < 0.001) significantly increased. Conclusion. Ultrasound treatment along with exercises have positive short-term effects and benefits on improvement of clinical and electrodiagnostic findings in individuals with carpal tunnel syndrome.


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