Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Comparative Study
. 2017 Jul;69(7):1060-1065.
doi: 10.1002/acr.23108. Epub 2017 Jun 8.

Effectiveness of Ultrasound-Guided Compared to Blind Steroid Injections in the Treatment of Carpal Tunnel Syndrome

Stefanie Evers  1 , Andrew J Bryan  2 , Thomas L Sanders  2 , Ruud W Selles  3 , Russell Gelfman  2 , Peter C Amadio  2
Affiliations
Comparative Study

Effectiveness of Ultrasound-Guided Compared to Blind Steroid Injections in the Treatment of Carpal Tunnel Syndrome

Stefanie Evers et al. Arthritis Care Res (Hoboken). 2017 Jul.

Abstract

Objective: To compare the effectiveness of ultrasound-guided injections to blind injections in the treatment of carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS) in a large community-based cohort.

Methods: This study evaluated residents of Olmsted County, Minnesota, treated with a corticosteroid injection for CTS between 2001 and 2010. The proportion of patients receiving retreatment and the duration of retreatment-free survival between blind and ultrasound-guided injections were compared. Propensity score matching was used to control for confounding by indication.

Results: In the matched data set consisting of 234 (of 600) hands treated with a blind injection and 87 (of 89) ultrasound-guided injection cases, ultrasound guidance was associated with a reduced hazard of retreatment (hazard ratio 0.59 [95% confidence interval (95% CI) 0.37-0.93]). In addition, ultrasound guidance was associated with 55% reduced odds of retreatment within 1 year compared to blind injections (adjusted odds ratio 0.45 [95% CI 0.24-0.83]).

Conclusion: This study indicates that ultrasound-guided injections are more effective in comparison to blind injections in the treatment of CTS.

PubMed Disclaimer

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Figure 2
Figure 2
Kaplan-Meier curves.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

Comment in

References

    1. Marshall S, Tardif G, Ashworth N. Local corticosteroid injection for carpal tunnel syndrome. The Cochrane database of systematc reviews. 2007;(2):CD001554. - PubMed
    1. Huisstede BM, Hoogvliet P, Randsdorp MS, Glerum S, van Middelkoop M, Koes BW. Carpal tunnel syndrome. Part I: effectiveness of nonsurgical treatments--a systematic review. Archives of physical medicine and rehabilitation. 2010;91(7):981–1004. - PubMed
    1. Green DP. Diagnostic and therapeutic value of carpal tunnel injection. The Journal of hand surgery. 1984;9(6):850–4. - PubMed
    1. Wilson JK, Sevier TL. A review of treatment for carpal tunnel syndrome. Disability and rehabilitation. 2003;25(3):113–9. - PubMed
    1. Kim DH, Jang JE, Park BK. Anatomical basis of ulnar approach in carpal tunnel injection. Pain physician. 2013;16(3):E191–8. - PubMed

Publication types

Substances