Open Carpal Tunnel Decompression Under Local Anaesthesia for Treatment of Carpal Tunnel Syndrome ( C.T.S)

Abstract

Background: Carpal tunnel syndrome is an entrapment neuropathy of the median nerve at the wrist underneath the flexor retinaculum .It's widely more common in females than males, usually responding to conservative treatment and surgery indicated for severe cases unresponding to conservative line of treatment.

Surgery could be done under G.A., regional or local anaesthesia, however, nowadays mostly done under local anaesthesia.

Aim of the Study: To prove that this technique is reliably effective, easy, safe and remarkably cost-effective.

Patients and Method: All patients with C.T.S who had been diagnosed clinically and failed to respond to conservative treatment included in this study from 1^st January 2003 to 31^st December 2011 inclusive.

     All the cases were submitted to open carpal tunnel decompression done under local anaesthesia using 5 ml of 1% lidocaine infiltrated at the site of the proposed incision with tourniquet applied to the upper arm.

This procedure had been done for all patients on an outpatient basis.

Results: Total number of the cases included in this study was 499 patients, 487 females and only 12 males. 450 patients had unilateral C.T.S, while 49 patients had bilateral C.T.S 99.96% of the cases were satisfied with this procedure.

Conclusion: This procedure found technically easy, safe, satisfactory for almost all the patients and highly cost-effective