Ulnar and Median Nerve Abnormalities in Carpal Tunnel Syndrome

2020 ◽  
Vol 22 (5) ◽  
pp. 313-322
Author(s):  
Filip Georgiew ◽  
Andrzej Maciejczak ◽  
Jakub Florek ◽  
Ireneusz Kotela

Background. Nerve compression underlying carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS) results in an increase in the threshold of superficial sensation in the area supplied by the median nerve, which is a mixed nerve dominated by sensory fibres. The distribution of sensory symptoms is strongly dependent on the degree of electrophysiological dysfunction of the median nerve. The association between carpal tunnel syndrome and ulnar nerve entrapment at wrist level is still unclear. Patho­logical processes leading to median neuropathy in CTS may affect ulnar nerve motor and sensory fibers in the Guyon canal. This may explain the extra-median spread of sensory symptoms in CTS patients. Material and methods. The study involved 88 patients (104 hands), with 70 women (83 hands) and 18 men (21 hands) aged between 25 and 77 years. 50 age- and sex-matched subjects without carpal tunnel syndrome were used as a control group. The diagnosis of carpal tunnel syndrome was made according to the criteria of the American Academy of Neurology 1993 guidelines. Based on the results of an ENG trace evaluating the degree of conduction disturbances in the median nerve, the patients were classified to one of three severity subgroups. The threshold of sensory excitability to pulsed current was determined in a test with single 100 ms rectangular pulses. Conclusions. 1. The threshold of sensation in the fingers innervated by the median and ulnar nerve is significantly lon­ger in patients with CTS than in controls. 2. Surgical treatment decreases the threshold of sensation in the fingers innervated by the median nerve. 3. Surgical treatment does not decrease the threshold of sensation in the fingers innervated by the ul­nar nerve. 4. The preoperative and postoperative threshold of sensation in the fingers innervated by the median and ulnar nerve is significantly longer in patients with severe carpal tunnel than in mild and moderate cases.

2020 ◽  
Vol 9 (4) ◽  
pp. 34-43
Author(s):  
D. G. Yusupova ◽  
A. A. Zimin ◽  
D. A. Grishina ◽  
N. V. Belova ◽  
A. V. Vershinin ◽  
...  

Background. Carpal tunnel syndrome is the most common tunnel neuropathy in which the median nerve is compressed at the level of the wrist in the carpal canal. Treatment of carpal tunnel syndrome can be conservative and surgical. Surgical treatment is indicated in case of ineffective conservative treatment. However, the strategy of managing patients with carpal tunnel syndrome in the postoperative period has not yet been determined; there is no clear understanding of the effectiveness and necessity of rehabilitation in the early and long-term postoperative periods.Aim. Follow-up the patients after decompression of the median nerve in the late (up to 3 weeks after surgery) and long-term (3 weeks after surgery) postoperative periods to assess the effectiveness of different methods of rehabilitation.Materials and methods. A randomized controlled study included 108 cases of idiopathic carpal tunnel syndrome (unilateral and bilateral). After surgery, the patients were divided into three groups: the restorative treatment group using magnetic therapy, the kinesiotherapy group, and the control group. Clinical, neurophysiological and ultrasound monitoring was carried out for six months.Results. Patients of all the groups showed similar improvement in the most of the analyzed parameters, without any significant difference.Conclusion. Thus, according to the results of a comprehensive study, it is evident that early diagnosis of carpal tunnel syndrome and a high-quality surgical decompression of the median nerve with a complete dissection of the flexor retinaculum of the hand guarantee improvement within six months or later after surgical treatment without additional rehabilitation measures.


2014 ◽  
Vol 41 (6) ◽  
pp. 426-433 ◽  
Author(s):  
Adham do Amaral e Castro ◽  
Thelma Larocca Skare ◽  
Paulo Afonso Nunes Nassif ◽  
Alexandre Kaue Sakuma ◽  
Bruno Luiz Ariede ◽  
...  

Objective:To evaluate the prevalence of carpal tunnel syndrome in candidates for bariatric surgery comparing with the non-obese population and verify the effects on it of bariatric treatment. Methods:We studiedthree groups of individuals: 1) patients waiting for bariatric surgery (preoperative); 2) individuals who had already undergone the procedure (postoperative); and 3) control group. We collected demographic and clinical data of carpal tunnel syndrome. The Ultrasound examination was carried out to diagnose the syndrome by measuring the median nerve area. Results:We included 329 individuals (114 in the preoperative group, 90 in the postoperative group and 125 controls). There was a higher prevalence of paresthesias (p=0.0003), clinical tests (p=0.0083) on the preoperative group when compared with controls (p<0.00001). There were lowe levels of paresthesias (p=0.0002) and median nerve area (p=0.04) in postoperative patients but with no significant difference in general. A significant difference was found between the preoperative and postoperative groups (p=0.05) in those who performed non-manual work.Conclusion: There was a higher prevalence of carpal tunnel syndrome in the preoperative group compared with the control one, but no significant difference was observed between the pre and postoperative groups in general. There was difference between pre and postoperative groups for non-manual workers.


2019 ◽  
Vol 20 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Basant Elnady ◽  
Elsayed M. Rageh ◽  
Tohamy Ekhouly ◽  
Sabry M. Fathy ◽  
Mohamed Alshaar ◽  
...  

Abstract Background Carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS) is the commonest entrapment neuropathy. The aim of this study was to assess the accuracy and validity of high resolution musculoskeletal ultrasound (US) in the diagnosis of CTS in the Saudi population. Methods Sixty patients were diagnosed clinically to have CTS involving 89 wrists that were confirmed by neurophysiologic studies. Each affected wrist was characterized as idiopathic or associated with either diabetes mellitus or hypothyroidism and were assigned a severity grade based on results of neurophysiologic studies. Seventy-six healthy wrists from fifty age, sex and BMI matched healthy subjects were included in the control group. High resolution ultrasound (US) was performed to assess median nerve cross sectional area distal (CSAd) at the entry to the carpal tunnel and proximally (CSAp) at the level of pronator quadratus muscle with a further calculation of their difference (ΔCSA) and their mean average or CSAd+CSAp/2 (CSApd). Results There was a significant difference between both groups regarding mean ± SD of CSAd, CSAp, ∆CSA, and CSApd (p = 0.0001). A positive significant correlation was also found between the CSAd, ∆ CSA and the CSApd measurements with neurophysiologic severity grade of CTS (P = 0.001). A ∆CSA threshold of 2.5 mm2 showed the highest sensitivity and specificity to diagnose CTS in Saudis. Conclusion High resolution ultrasound is a valid and accurate diagnostic modality in carpal tunnel syndrome and correlated to CTS severity. A ∆CSA greater than 2.5 mm2 is considered a valid diagnostic value for CTS in our Saudi population. CTS in our patients with diabetes tend to have greater median nerve US measurement values.


Neurosurgery ◽  
2009 ◽  
Vol 65 (4) ◽  
pp. 696-701 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mauro Mondelli ◽  
Federica Ginanneschi ◽  
Alessandro Rossi

Abstract OBJECTIVE The aim of this study was to verify any effect of carpal tunnel release (CTR) on distal ulnar nerve conduction findings, using the database of a previous study performed to establish a protocol for CTR outcome. METHODS The motor and sensory ulnar distal conduction findings of 251 consecutive hands belonging to 217 patients (175 women and 42 men; mean age, 55.6 years) with idiopathic carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS) were reanalyzed before and 1 and 6 months after CTR. RESULTS Before surgery, 115 hands (45.8%) showed reduction of ulnar nerve sensory action potential (SAP) amplitude; this number was reduced significantly to 85 (33.9%) after CTR. The SAP amplitude and sensory conduction velocity values of the ulnar nerve showed significant improvement 1 month after CTR; SAP amplitude values showed further significant improvement 6 months after CTR. Patients' ages and occupations were independent predictors of reduced baseline SAP amplitudes of the ulnar nerve in CTS. CONCLUSION These results demonstrate an improvement in conduction values in sensory ulnar fibers in a percentage of patients with CTS after CTR, providing further support for the conclusion that in CTS ulnar fibers may be subject to compressive forces in the Guyon canal as a consequence of high pressure in the carpal tunnel.


2018 ◽  
Vol 59 (12) ◽  
pp. 1494-1499 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gi-young Park ◽  
Dong Rak Kwon ◽  
Jung Im Seok ◽  
Dong-Soon Park ◽  
Hee Kyung Cho

Background Carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS) is the most common peripheral compression neuropathy of the upper extremity. Recently, dynamic ultrasound (US) imaging has shown differences in median nerve mobility between the affected and unaffected sides in CTS. Purpose The present study was performed to compare the median nerve mobility between patients with CTS and healthy individuals, and to correlate median nerve mobility with the severity of CTS. Material and Methods A total of 101 patients (128 wrists) with CTS and 43 healthy individuals (70 wrists) were evaluated. Electrodiagnostic studies were initially conducted to determine the neurophysiological grading scale (NGS). The cross-sectional area (CSA) of the median nerve and the grade of median nerve mobility were measured using US. Results The mean grade of median nerve mobility in the CTS group (1.9) was significantly lower than that in the control group (2.6; P < 0.001). There were significant negative correlations between the grade of median nerve mobility and distal motor latency of the median nerve (r = –0.218, P = 0.015), NGS (r = –0.207, P = 0.020) and CSA of the median nerve (r = –0.196, P = 0.028). Conclusion The grade of median nerve mobility was negatively correlated with the severity of CTS. US assessment of median nerve mobility may be useful in diagnosing and determining the severity of CTS.


2017 ◽  
Vol 2017 ◽  
pp. 1-5 ◽  
Author(s):  
Fatma Gülçin Ural ◽  
Gökhan Tuna Öztürk

Introduction. The aim of this study was to explore the acupuncture effect on the cross-sectional area (CSA) of the median nerve at the wrist in patients with carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS) and, additionally, to identify whether clinical, electrophysiological, and ultrasonographic changes show any association.Methods. Forty-five limbs of 27 female patients were randomly divided into two groups (acupuncture and control). All patients used night wrist splint. The patients in the acupuncture group received additional acupuncture therapy. Visual analog scale (VAS), Duruöz Hand Index (DHI), Quick Disabilities of the Arm, Shoulder and Hand (DASH) questionnaire scores, electrophysiologic measurements, and median nerve CSAs were noted before and after the treatment in both groups.Results. VAS, DHI, Quick DASH scores, and electrophysiological measurements were improved in both groups. The median nerve CSA significantly decreased in the acupuncture group, whereas there was no change in the control group.Conclusion. After acupuncture therapy, the patients with CTS might have both clinical and morphological improvement.


Hand ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 15 (3) ◽  
pp. 335-340 ◽  
Author(s):  
Brandon Shulman ◽  
Jonathan Bekisz ◽  
Christopher Lopez ◽  
Samantha Maliha ◽  
Siddharth Mahure ◽  
...  

Background: Many patients treated for ulnar nerve compression at the elbow (UNE) are concomitantly treated for carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS). We sought to investigate the association between the conditions. Methods: The Statewide Planning and Research Cooperative System (SPARCS) database was used to determine the number of patients with UNE concomitantly treated for CTS in New York State from 2003 to 2014. We then retrospectively reviewed each patient who received surgical treatment for UNE (n = 222 patients) or CTS (n = 1063 patients) at our tertiary care institution in 2014 and 2015 to assess concomitant treatment. Results: In the SPARCS database, the percentage of patients surgically treated for concomitant UNE and CTS steadily increased from 23% in 2003 to 45% in 2014. At our institution, 50 of 222 patients (23%) surgically treated for UNE underwent concomitant carpal tunnel releases. For concomitantly treated patients, 94% had examinations consistent with UNE and CTS, 87% of patients had median nerve compression on electrodiagnostic tests, and 72% of patients had UNE on electrodiagnostic tests. Conclusions: Most patients concomitantly treated for UNE and CTS have objective findings of both conditions. At least one-fourth of patients indicated for operative ulnar nerve release also require a carpal tunnel release—far beyond the prevalence of CTS in the general population. A diagnosis of UNE merits a comprehensive workup by the treating surgeon and a high suspicion for concomitant median nerve compression.


2021 ◽  
Vol 27 (1) ◽  
pp. 24-31
Author(s):  
O.M. Semenkin ◽  
◽  
S.N. Izmalkov ◽  
A.N. Bratiichuk ◽  
E.B. Solopikhina ◽  
...  

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.


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