Carpal Tunnel Syndrome: Case Reports and Analysis - Ultrasound Imaging and Pathomechanics of Median Nerve Compression

Carpal Tunnel Syndrome: Case Reports and Analysis - Ultrasound Imaging and Pathomechanics of Median Nerve Compression

Carpal tunnel syndrome is caused by compression of the median nerve at the wrist. The hypothesis is that ultrasound imaging can be used to visualize nerve compression in carpal tunnel patients during hand activity, and normal subjects will not demonstrate any nerve compression.

Two patients with carpal tunnel syndrome underwent nerve testing to document that they had median nerve abnormality at the wrist. They subsequently had ultrasound imaging of the wrist at rest and during a stress test using hand activity. Two control subjects had nerve testing to prove that they had no nerve abnormality at the carpal tunnel. The carpal tunnel syndrome patients demonstrated nerve compression on the ultrasound images during the stress tests and the normal subjects showed no nerve compression.

Inclusion Criteria:

• Patients must have symptoms consistent with carpal tunnel syndrome and electrodiagnostic testing that demonstrates abnormal median nerve function at the wrist, consistent with carpal tunnel syndrome.
• Normal subjects must have no upper limb symptoms to support carpal tunnel syndrome and normal nerve testing.

Exclusion Criteria:

• Patients excluded if nerve testing was not consistent with carpal tunnel syndrome.
• Normals excluded if nerve testing demonstrated any median nerve abnormality.