Carpal Tunnel Syndrome Diagnosed by Carpal Tunnel Pressure Measurement

ABSTRACT

Carpal tunnel syndrome(CTS), the most common compressive neuropathy, is usually diagnosed by clinical features and nerve conduction test(NCS). However, NCS might show no abnormal finding. Ultrasonography(USG), known as helpful adjunctive in diagnosis of CTS, also might show false negative finding. A 33-year-old woman presented with complaints of pain and numbness in median nerve area on her right hand for 4 years. Despite typical clinical features of CTS, neither NCS nor USG showed abnormal finding. Because of persistent symptom, without significant improvement on conservative management, endoscopic carpal tunnel release(ECTR) was performed with carpal tunnel pressure(CTP) measurement. The measured CTP was 27.9mmHg before ECRT, which was reduced to 5.9mmHg after operation. The pain and numbness subsided after operation. Our case showed the usefulness of CTP measurement in diagnosis of CTS. The measurement of CTP might be an important diagnosis modality for some patients having CTS, especially in cases without definitive findings in NCS and USG.