Evidence map›Paper›PMID 36856307›Full record

ArticleHand (New York, N.Y.)2024

A "Clear" Carpal Tunnel Syndrome Diagnosis on Ultrasound Examination Does Not Predict Improved Outcomes When Compared With a "Borderline" Diagnosis.

Robert C Vernick, John R Fowler

Open access · greenAbstract readComparative Study
In one paragraph

Article in Hand (New York, N.Y.), 2024. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
1citing papers in PubMed
0.5field-weighted citation impact, top 36% 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

1 citing paper in PubMed, 2 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Article
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

2 authors at 2 institutions in 1 country.

Robert C VernickCampbell University, Lillington, NC, USA.ORCID 0000-0002-5788-5351
John R FowlerUniversity of Pittsburgh Medical Center, PA, USA.
Campbell University · USUniversity of Pittsburgh Medical Center · US

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundNerve conduction studies (NCS) and ultrasound (US) remain imperfect compared with clinical diagnosis and/or diagnostic tools such as carpal tunnel syndrome-6 (CTS-6) for diagnosis of carpal tunne syndrome (CTS). One potential reason for the discrepancy between clinical diagnosis and testing is "borderline" case inclusion. This study aims to compare clinical outcomes after carpal tunnel release (CTR) between "borderline" and "clear" patients with CTS determined by NCS and US.

methodsThis was a retrospective review of patients who underwent CTR. We collected NCS and US measurements of the median nerve cross-sectional area (MNCSA) at the carpal tunnel inlet, and the Boston Carpal Tunnel Questionnaire (BCTQ) scores comprised of the Symptom Severity Scale (SSS) and the Functional Status Scale (FSS). Ultrasound measurements defined patients as having "borderline" (MNCSA < 13 mm

resultsThe study included 94 unilateral patients with CTS. "Borderline" CTS was diagnosed in 58 patients (62%), and "clear" CTS was diagnosed in 36 patients (38%). No significant differences in BCTQ scores were found between groups. At greater than 6-month follow-up, the mean FSS was 1.44 and 1.45 for clear and borderline groups, respectively (

conclusionCategorizing CTS diagnosis into "borderline" and "clear" based on preoperative US and NCS testing did not correlate with BCTQ changes after CTR. It remains unclear whether the BCTQ is a valid postoperative assessment tool, despite its frequent use in literature.

Indexed as

Carpal Tunnel SyndromeMedian NerveNeural ConductionUltrasonographyAdultAgedDecompression, SurgicalFemaleHumansMaleMiddle AgedRetrospective StudiesSeverity of Illness IndexBoston Carpal Tunnel Questionnairecarpal tunnel diagnostic testingcarpal tunnel release procedurecarpal tunnel syndromediagnosisdistal motor latencydistal sensory latencymedian nerve cross-sectional areanervenerve conduction studiesultrasound

Identifiers

PMID36856307
PMCPMC11342690
OpenAlexW4322719361

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.