Clinical profile of carpal tunnel syndrome in a teaching hospital

ABSTRACT

The aim of this study was to review the clinical characteristics and demography of Carpel Tunnel Syndrome [CTS] cases presented to a university hospital. A retrospective study was done for 336 consecutive patients [290 females and 46 males], referred with a clinical diagnosis of CTS to the Neuro-diagnostic laboratory at King Abdulaziz University Hospital, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, between January 2007 and December 2010. All subjects had clinical evaluation and standardized nerve conduction studies [672 hands] performed by the same examiner. Carpal tunnel syndrome was confirmed in 640 hands [95.23%] with female predominance [86.3%]. The mean age was 52.4 in females and 54.4 years in males with overall highest occurrence among the age group 45-< 55 years. Bilateral CTS was confirmed in the majority of the patients, i.e., 304 [90.5%], and remaining were unilateral. Among unilateral pattern, 22 [68.8%] had right CTS and others had left CTS. Most of the patients were treated conservatively 85.4% while the rest had surgical decompression 14.6%. Overall predominant age group was 45-<55 years with female dominancy. Majority of subjects had bilateral CTS as well as conservative treatment was frequent