Evidence map›Paper›PMID 33487036›Full record

ArticleHand (New York, N.Y.)2022

Ultrasound of the Median Nerve in the Surgical Treatment of Severe Carpal Tunnel Syndrome.

William Melton, Maximillian Soong, Gabrielle Paci, Brian Clair, Dayana Blanchet, Doreen Ho

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Hand (New York, N.Y.), 2022. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
0citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
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

0 citing papers in PubMed.

No citing paper in PubMed yet.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

6 authors.

William MeltonLahey Hospital and Medical Center, Burlington, MA, USA.
Maximillian SoongLahey Hospital and Medical Center, Burlington, MA, USA.ORCID 0000-0003-0333-8181
Gabrielle PaciLahey Hospital and Medical Center, Burlington, MA, USA.
Brian ClairLahey Hospital and Medical Center, Burlington, MA, USA.
Dayana BlanchetLahey Hospital and Medical Center, Burlington, MA, USA.
Doreen HoLahey Hospital and Medical Center, Burlington, MA, USA.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundHigh-resolution ultrasound (HRU) has demonstrated utility in the diagnosis and treatment of carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS) by measuring the cross-sectional area (CSA) of the median nerve. We investigated whether HRU could be helpful in evaluating outcomes of carpal tunnel release in patients with severe CTS.

methodsPatients greater than 18 years of age with severe CTS on electrodiagnostic (EDX) studies and scheduled to have carpal tunnel release were enrolled. At baseline visit within 6 weeks preoperatively, HRU was used to measure median nerve CSA at the carpal tunnel inlet and forearm, and the wrist/forearm ratio (WFR) was calculated. Patients also completed the Boston Carpal Tunnel Questionnaire (BCTQ). Ultrasound and BCTQ were repeated at 6 weeks and 6 months postoperatively.

resultsTwelve patients completed the study (average age, 69 years; range, 52-80 years). The WFR improved significantly at 6 weeks and reached normal levels at 6 months. The CSA at the wrist also improved at 6 months, although this did not reach statistical significance (

conclusionsHigh-resolution ultrasound provides an objective assessment of surgical outcomes in cases of severe CTS, demonstrating normalization of WFR in our series of successful cases. Future study of poor outcomes may help determine whether improvement in WFR and CSA can provide reassurance and support for observation rather than reoperation. Ultrasound also provides anatomical evaluation and may be helpful in cases with medicolegal or psychosocial issues while potentially being less costly and better tolerated than EDX or magnetic resonance imaging.

Indexed as

Carpal Tunnel SyndromeMedian NerveAgedForearmHumansUltrasonographyWristcarpal tunnel syndromediagnosisnervenerve compressionoutcomesradiologyresearch and health outcomessurgery

Identifiers

PMID33487036
PMCPMC9608279

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.