Translation, Cross-Cultural Adaptation and Psychometric Validation of the Romanian Version of the Boston Carpal Tunnel Questionnaire.

Background/

Objectives

Carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS) is the most common peripheral neuropathy, often impairing daily function and quality of life. This study aimed to translate, cross-culturally adapt, and assess the validity of the Boston Carpal Tunnel Questionnaire (BCTQ) in a Romanian cohort.

Methods

We conducted a cross-sectional study to translate, culturally adapt, and validate the Romanian version of the BCTQ. A total of 190 participants were recruited, representing 380 wrists, including 130 patients with suspected or confirmed CTS and 60 healthy controls. The adaptation process followed international standards, with forward and backward translation, expert committee review, and pilot testing. Participants completed the Romanian BCTQ and performed standardized nerve conduction studies. The internal consistency and validity, including convergent and discriminant validity, exploratory factor analysis, and test-retest assessments, were performed.

Results

The Romanian BCTQ exhibited exceptional internal consistency (Cronbach's α = 0.96), significant inter-item correlations, and robust factor loadings confirming a one-factor structure. Convergent validity was evidenced by strong correlations with electrodiagnostic measurements. The test-retest reliability was high, with intraclass correlation coefficients above 0,99.

Conclusions

The Romanian adaptation of the BCTQ is a valid, reliable, and culturally appropriate patient-reported instrument to assess symptom severity and functional status in CTS, improving clinical decision-making and cross-cultural research.