RESUMO
OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to evaluate therapeutic effect of local steroid injection in carpal tunnel syndrome, and to make a comparison between therapeutic effect in patients with and without diabetic neuropathy. METHOD: 30 patients (40 hands) with carpal tunnel syndrome diagnosed clinically and electrophysiologically were injected with 40mg of methylprednisone. Patients were evaluated with the visual analogue scale after 4 weeks and 8 weeks. According to the therapeutic responses, the patients were grouped into: excellent; good; poor; failed; recurrent. RESULTS: After 4 weeks, symptom relief was noted in the 95% of all cases: 100% of the patients without diabetic neuropathy; 82% of the patients with diabetic neuropathy. After 8 weeks, symptom relief was noted in the 82.5% of all cases: 86% of the patients without diabetic neuropathy; 73% of the patients with diabetic neuropathy. There was no statistically significant difference between the patients with and without diabetic neuropathy (p>0.05). CONCLUSION: We concluded that local steroid injection in carpal tunnel syndrome was an effective therapeutic modality for a short term and local steroid injection in the carpal tunnel syndrome with diabetic neuropathy diagnosed by palmar test also had a good effect.