One hundred and eighty five consecutive patients with carpal
tunnel syndrome (CTS) seen at Jordan University Hospital (JUH)
over an 18-month-period were studied retrospectively. Mean
age=45 years (range 19-80); 156 females, 29 males. The most
common predisposing factors were stressful manual work, followed
by diabetes mellitus and obesity (body mass index, BMI>29). The
most frequent symptoms were nocturnal hand paresthesiae. The
respective sensitivities of Tinel and Phalen signs were 61 and
46%. The diagnostic yield of nerve conduction studies (NCS) was
80% and the most sensitive NCS technique was the median
palm-to-wrist (PW) technique with a yield of 61%. Seventy
percent of the hands with electrophysiological CTS were moderate
and severe. One hundred and forty patients received conservative
treatment and 45 underwent surgical decompression.
Institution
Neurology Section, Internal Medicine Department, Jordan
University Hospital, PO Box 13046, Amman, Jordan.
jacobbahou@hotmail.com
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