Evidence map›Paper›PMID 12171229›Full record

SynthesisThe British journal of general practice : the journal of the Royal College of General Practitioners2002

A systematic review of the utility of electrodiagnostic testing in carpal tunnel syndrome.

Rachel Jordan, Tim Carter, Carole Cummins

Open access · greenAbstract readSystematic Review
In one paragraph

Synthesis in The British journal of general practice : the journal of the Royal College of General Practitioners, 2002. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 13 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
13citing papers in PubMed, 1 pooled it
1.7field-weighted citation impact, top 17% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

13 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 63 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Pooled it
  2. Carpal tunnel syndrome.Nature reviews. Disease primers · 2024
    Review
  3. Article
  4. Carpal Tunnel Syndrome: As Seen from the Perspective of the Patient.Plastic and reconstructive surgery. Global open · 2023
    Article
  5. Article
  6. Article
  7. Review
  8. Article
  9. Article
  10. Article
  11. Relationship between intraneural vascular flow measured with sonography and carpal tunnel syndrome diagnosis based on electrodiagnostic testing.Journal of ultrasound in medicine : official journal of the American Institute of Ultrasound in Medicine · 2012
    Article
  12. Article
  13. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

3 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.

Rachel JordanDepartment of Public Health & Epidemiology, University of Birmingham.
Tim Carter
Carole Cummins
University of Birmingham · GB

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS) comprises a complex of symptoms in the hand, including pain and paresthesia and weakness of hand muscles thought to result from compression of the median nerve. Many clinicians either refer patients for electrodiagnostic studies to aid diagnosis or conduct electrodiagnostic studies, which may be useful as an aid to decisions on treatment. The aim of this systematic review is to evaluate the evidence base for the use of electrodiagnostic tests in the diagnosis and management of carpal tunnel syndrome. A systematic search was undertaken for studies that included patients with clinical diagnosis of CT5 who were undergoing electrodiagnostic tests and surgery together with reported outcomes of surgery. A published systematic review found that electrodiagnosis was not a useful diagnostic test in patients with clinical signs of CTS. Seven primary studies of prognosis reporting electrodiagnosis and surgery outcomes were found, however, one of them was subsequently retracted. The remaining six were retrospective case senes of poor quality. Four of these studies reported outcomes of surgery in patients with clinically identified CTS, comparing both positive or negative electrodiagnostic results. No study found any statistical difference in surgical outcome between those who were electrodiagnostic test positive and those who were negative. Despite the limited quality of the evidence, in cases of clear-cut clinical CTS, electrodiagnosis is not warranted either as a diagnostic test, where clinical symptoms are well defined, or as a predictive indicator of surgical outcome. It may still be useful in cases where the clinical diagnosis is not clear.

Indexed as

Carpal Tunnel SyndromeElectrodiagnosisHumans

Identifiers

PMID12171229
PMCPMC1314389
OpenAlexW1872296826

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.