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. 2023 Jul 7:16:91-98.
doi: 10.2147/LRA.S389011. eCollection 2023.

Safety of Cubital Tunnel Release Under General versus Regional Anesthesia

Courtney R Carlson Strother  1 , Lauren E Dittman  1 , Marco Rizzo  1 , Steven L Moran  2 , Peter C Rhee  1
Affiliations

Safety of Cubital Tunnel Release Under General versus Regional Anesthesia

Courtney R Carlson Strother et al. Local Reg Anesth. .

Abstract

Purpose: The aim of this study was to evaluate the occurrence of early (<6 weeks) post-operative complications following ulnar nerve decompressions at the cubital tunnel performed under regional anesthesia compared to those performed under general anesthesia.

Methods: In situ ulnar nerve decompressions at the cubital tunnel performed at a single institution from 2012 through 2019 were retrospectively reviewed. Post-operative complications were compared between subjects who underwent the procedure with regional versus general anesthesia.

Results: Ninety-one ulnar nerve in situ decompressions were included in the study, which were performed under regional anesthesia in 55 and general anesthesia in 36 cases. The occurrence of post-operative complications was not significantly different between patients who received regional (n = 7) anesthesia and general (n = 8) anesthesia. None of the complications were directly attributed to the type of anesthesia administered. The change in pre- and post-operative McGowan scores were not significantly different between anesthesia groups (p = 0.81).

Conclusion: In situ ulnar nerve decompression at the cubital tunnel under regional anesthesia does not result in increased post-operative complications compared to those surgeries performed under general anesthesia. In situ ulnar nerve decompression performed under regional anesthesia is a safe and reliable option for patients who wish to avoid general anesthesia.

Level of evidence: III.

Keywords: cubital tunnel; regional anesthesia; ulnar neuropathy.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors report no conflicts of interest in this work.

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