Incidence of Recurrent and Persistent Carpal Tunnel Syndrome following Open Transverse Carpal Ligament Release

Carpal tunnel syndrome is entrapment of the median nerve in carpal tunnel of the wrist. In severe cases of carpal tunnel syndrome, or those refractory to conservative treatment, surgery is performed. The main aim of this research was to determine the incidence of recurrent and persistent rates of carpal tunnel syndrome following open surgery. This descriptive cross sectional study was performed on 105 patients having open carpal tunnel release in the range of 5 to 60 months ago. These cases were operated at Shahid Beheshti hospital in Yasuj, Iran. Assessment of carpal tunnel syndrome after open surgical release of the median nerve was done by electrodiagnostic studies and MRI. If symptoms of carpal tunnel syndrome maintain after surgery, this condition is persistent and if reappearance of the syndrome 3 months or more following surgery this is recurrent. In cases of observing changes from severe to lower stages of the disease in electrodiagnostic studies, treatment is considered successful. All of 58.1% of patients had right severe carpal tunnel syndrome and 41.9 % had left severe carpal tunnel syndrome prior to surgery. The incidence of recurrent and persistent carpal tunnel syndrome following open transverse carpal release was 12.4% and 10.4%, respectively. The incidence of persistent and recurrent rates of carpal tunnel syndrome following open transverse carpal release was higher than the expected rate. These rates were dependant to the appropriate patient, the correct diagnosis and duration of symptoms before surgery.