Very Early Outcomes in Endoscopic Versus Open Carpal Tunnel Release

Very Early Outcomes in Endoscopic Versus Open Carpal Tunnel Release

We are looking at whether there is a difference in pain and function in the very early period when comparing carpal tunnel release performed by the endoscopic technique versus the open technique.

The purpose of our study is to examine the very early (<2 weeks post-op) outcomes of endoscopic versus open carpal tunnel releases (CTR). We will call patients on post-operative days 3, 7 and 14 and collect Single Assessment Numeric Evaluation (SANE), Patient Related Wrist and Hand Evaluation (PRWHE), Visual Analog Scale (VAS) pain and return to work status at each time frame to see if there is any difference between the two procedures.

Inclusion Criteria:

• Patients 18 years of age or older
• Diagnosed with carpal tunnel syndrome and indicated to undergo carpal tunnel release with one of the three participating hand surgeons were included in this study.

Exclusion Criteria:

• Patients younger than 18 years old
• Pregnant women
• Revision carpal tunnel surgery, or patients who underwent any other type of surgery concomitantly with the carpal tunnel release.