Carpal tunnel syndrome: current concepts

Abstract

Carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS) is a clinical syndrome manifested by characteristic signs and symptoms resulting from an entrapment neuropathy of the median nerve at the wrist. It is the most common compression neuropathy in the upper extremity. In this paper, the etiology and pathophysiology of CTS are reviewed, as well as the clinical examination and other tests that may be useful in establishing its diagnosis. A variety of surgical techniques have been espoused for treating CTS refractory to non-operative treatment and the proposed advantages and disadvantages of the new procedures are discussed. If the diagnosis is correct, then surgical results are reliably good.