Comparison of efficacy and complication of classic and short palmar incision in the patients with carpal tunnel syndrome

Classic open incision is used usually in surgical release of carpal tunnel syndrome, but its complications are painful scar and delayed rehabilitation. The other method used, short palmar incision seems to have fewer complication and easier rehabilitation. Therefore, the aim of this study was to compare the efficacy and complications of these two surgical methods. In this clinical trial, the patients candidate for surgery were randomly divided in two groups of 51. One group was operated with classic incision and the other was operated with short palmar incision. The rate of Infection, surgical scar, tenderness and pain in incision, paresthesia and numbness, Tinnel test, Phallen test and recovery of sensory symptom postoperatively in the two groups in 3 weeks and 3 months after the operation were registrated and compared using Fisher, X2 and t-student tests. In the case of wound infection and damage to median nerve and its palmar branch no difference was seen in the two groups. Tenderness at the incision site in the case and control groups was 7.8% and 58.8% at the third week and was 2% and 47.1% in the third month, respectively (P<0.05). The mean of pain intensity in the case and control groups was 1.64±0.22% and 2.04±0.23% at the third week (P<0.001) and was 1.28±0.14% and 1.39±0.18% in the third month, respectively (P>0.05). There were no significant differences between the two groups in the cases of the amount of paresthesia, numbness and recovery of sensory symptoms. Regarding the similar effectiveness in both classic and short palmar incision and less post-operation complication of the later method, this method is recommended for surgical release of median nerve of wrist.