ReviewHand (New York, N.Y.)2026
Objective Preoperative Prognostic Tools for Predicting Recovery After Carpal Tunnel Decompression: a Systematic Review.
Review in Hand (New York, N.Y.), 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.
What it found
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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.
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.
Who cites it
0 citing papers in PubMed.
No citing paper in PubMed yet.
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
6 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS) is commonly treated with surgical release of the transverse carpal ligament. However, predicting postoperative recovery remains challenging. To summarise the current relationship between preoperative objective severity measures and postoperative recovery and direct the development of future research, a systematic review was conducted in accordance with the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses 2020 guidelines. MEDLINE, Embase, Scopus, CENTRAL, CINAHL and Web of Science were searched from database inception to April 19, 2026. Seventeen studies (1997-2024) were included in this review. Nerve conduction studies (NCSs) were the most common preoperative modality, followed by ultrasound, electromyography and carpal tunnel pressure. Eleven studies reported an association between preoperative severity and clinical outcome, whereas 6 studies found no association. Notably, non-NCS modalities demonstrated positive associations; however, they were underrepresented in the literature. This review provides important insight into the relationship between objective preoperative CTS severity and recovery. More importantly, it provides guidance on the research required to establish the relationship and direct patient counselling.
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