Evidence map›Paper›PMID 42064011›Full record

ArticleJournal of hand surgery global online2026

Incidence and Patient-Level Risk Factors for Complex Regional Pain Syndrome Following Cubital Tunnel Surgery.

Stephen J Perle, Nicholas C Bank, Sarah Conlon, Alexander D Jeffs, Stephen M Himmelberg, J Megan M Patterson, Reid W Draeger

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Journal of hand surgery global online, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

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1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

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2 · The registry

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3 · Its place in the literature

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0 citing papers in PubMed.

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4 · The record

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5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

7 authors.

Stephen J PerleThe University of North Carolina School of Medicine, Chapel Hill, NC.
Nicholas C BankDepartment of Orthopaedics, The University of North Carolina School of Medicine, Chapel Hill, NC.
Sarah ConlonDepartment of Orthopaedics, The University of North Carolina School of Medicine, Chapel Hill, NC.
Alexander D JeffsDepartment of Orthopaedics, The University of North Carolina School of Medicine, Chapel Hill, NC.
Stephen M HimmelbergDepartment of Orthopaedics, The University of North Carolina School of Medicine, Chapel Hill, NC.
J Megan M PattersonDepartment of Orthopaedics, The University of North Carolina School of Medicine, Chapel Hill, NC.
Reid W DraegerDepartment of Orthopaedics, The University of North Carolina School of Medicine, Chapel Hill, NC.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Purpose: Complex regional pain syndrome (CRPS) is a debilitating complication reported after upper-extremity surgeries, yet its incidence following isolated cubital tunnel surgery (CuTS) remains undefined. This study aimed to estimate the incidence of CRPS after isolated CuTS and to identify independent patient-level risk factors. Methods: A retrospective cohort study was conducted using the TriNetX research database. Patients who underwent a single isolated CuTS between 2000 and 2024 were identified. One-year cumulative incidences of CRPS type I and type II were calculated, excluding individuals with additional upper-extremity trauma or surgery within 1 year before or after CuTS. Separately, multivariable Cox proportional hazards models were performed in the overall CuTS population to evaluate associations between pertinent demographic and clinical factors and time to CRPS development, allowing prior upper-extremity injury and procedural history to be assessed as potential predictors. Results: The query identified 9,719 patients who met inclusion criteria. At 1 year after surgery, the incidences of CRPS type I and type II were 0.20% and 0.13%, respectively. Women were associated with significantly increased hazard of CRPS I but not CRPS II (HR: 2.16, 95% CI: 1.47-3.17). Preexisting fibromyalgia and polyneuropathy were independently associated with increased hazards of both CRPS subtypes. Prior upper-extremity nerve injury and prior forearm or wrist surgery were associated with increased risk of CRPS I, whereas previous proximal nerve injury and sedative-, hypnotic-, or anxiolytic-related disorders were associated with increased risk of CRPS II. Conclusions: CRPS following isolated CuTS is exceedingly rare, with an overall 1-year incidence rate of approximately 0.33%. However, identifiable patient-level risk factors, including female sex, preexisting polyneuropathy and fibromyalgia, selected upper-extremity nerve injuries and surgical procedures, were independently associated with increased risk. These findings provide a uniquely large estimate of CRPS risk following CuTS, offering important insight for preoperative counseling and individualized risk stratification. Type of study/level of evidence: Prognosis II.

Indexed as

Complex regional pain syndromeCubital tunnel surgeryCubital tunnel syndromeRisk factorsUlnar nerve decompression

Identifiers

PMID42064011
PMCPMC13126497

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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.