Carpal Tunnel Syndrome Research Today is a free monthly online journal that collates and summarizes the latest research about Carpal Tunnel Syndrome, including details on symptoms, causes, trauma, diagnosis, physiotherapy.

Patient satisfaction following carpal-tunnel decompression: a comparison of patients with and without osteoarthritis of the wrist.

Joshy S, Thomas B, Ghosh S, Haidar SG, Deshmukh SC

Trauma and Orthopaedics, City Hospital, B18 7QH, Birmingham, UK.

The aim of this study was to assess whether surgical decompression for carpal-tunnel syndrome (CTS) in the presence of primary or secondary osteoarthritis of the wrist is associated with poorer patient satisfaction. We did a retrospective matched cohort study. Twenty-four patients who underwent surgical decompression for CTS secondary to osteoarthritis were identified by reviewing the notes and the radiographs. A control group consisted of 24 patients without osteoarthritis of the wrist who underwent carpal-tunnel decompression. The control group was matched for age, sex, side, and neuro-physiological severity of the nerve compression. In the group with osteoarthritis of the wrist, 17 (71%) patients reported their symptom relief as satisfactory, and 7 (29%) reported the results as unsatisfactory. In the control group, 23 (96%) patients reported their symptom relief as satisfactory, and 1 (4%) reported the results as unsatisfactory (P=0.0325). In conclusion, patient satisfaction following surgical decompression in patients with secondary CTS due to osteoarthritis was significantly lower compared to patients without osteoarthritis of the wrist.

Published 1 February 2007 in Int Orthop, 31(1): 1-3.
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