[Prognosis factors in carpal tunnel syndrome surgery].

INTRODUCTION

Carpal tunnel syndrome is the most frequent peripheral neuropathy and it affects nearly 3% of the general population. Although electromyography tests have become the gold standard for diagnosis, currently there is controversy between the correlation of clinical data and electromyography for diagnosis. The purpose of this work is to study this correlation and determine the possible prognostic factors in this pathology.

MATERIAL AND

METHODS

139 patients who underwent surgery were reviewed retrospectively between January 1995 and December 2008. All patients had an electromyography preoperatively to obtain motor conduction rate and latency, sensitive conduction rate and clinical examination, especially the Tinel and Phalen signs in order to correlate them with the final postoperative symptoms. In order to establish if there were statistically significant differences, these were determined through the T-Student and chi2.

RESULTS

Preoperatively, there is a clinical correlation (p < 0.05) between the Tinel and Phanel clinical signs with the compression electrophysiological grading. Likewise, there is a correlation between clinical persistence in the postoperative period with motor conduction rate and latency involvement specified in the preoperative electrophysiological tests.

CONCLUSION

Electrophysiological tests in the diagnosis of carpal tunnel syndrome have an added prognostic value with regards to the final result after surgery.