[Symptoms and clinical course in carpal tunnel syndrome].

BACKGROUND

We wanted to study the symptoms in carpal tunnel syndrome, evaluate postsurgical median nerve recovery in elderly patients compared to younger patients, and investigate the clinical development and median nerve changes in non-operated cases.

MATERIAL AND

METHODS

The study included 92 patients diagnosed with carpal tunnel syndrome on the basis of clinical symptoms and neurophysiological findings. Neurophysiological data from elderly operated (70-89 years), younger operated (30-69 years) and non-operated (25-83 years) patients were analysed separately.

RESULTS

The most common symptoms were paresthesia in the third (97%) and second (88%) digits, nocturnal paresthesia (88%), increased symptoms when at work (78%), and pain in the hand (72%). Paresthesia in the entire hand (30%) and pain in the entire arm (55%) were common. Median nerve recovery in the elderly patients was comparable to the results in the younger operated patients. Some patients recovered clinically with normalisation of the median nerve without surgery.

INTERPRETATION: Carpal tunnel syndrome will often have symptoms outside the median nerve territory. Elderly patients should be operated on the same indications as those applied to younger patients. Patients with no neurological findings may be monitored without surgery.