%0 Journal Article
%T A Retrospective Comparison of Conventional versus Transverse Mini-Incision Technique for Carpal Tunnel Release
%A £¿smail G¨¹l£¿en
%A Hakan Ak
%A G£¿khan Evc£¿l£¿
%A £¿zlem Balbaloglu
%A Enver S£¿s¨¹nc¨¹
%J ISRN Neurology
%D 2013
%R 10.1155/2013/721830
%X Background. In this retrospective study, we aimed to compare the results of two surgical techniques, conventional and transverse mini-incision. Materials and Methods. 95 patients were operated between 2011 and 2012 in Bitlis State Hospital. 50 patients were operated with conventional technique and 45 of them were operated with minimal transverse incision. Postoperative complications, incision site problems, and the time of starting to use their hands in daily activities were noted. Results. 95 patients were included in the study. The mean age was 48. 87 of them were female and 8 were male. There was no problem of incision site in both of the two surgical techniques. Only in one patient, anesthesia developed in minimal incision technique. The time of starting to use their hands in daily activities was 22,2 days and 17 days in conventional and minimal incision technique, respectively. Conclusion. Two surgical techniques did not show superiority to each other in terms of postoperative complications and incision site problems except the time of starting to use their hands in daily activities. 1. Introduction Carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS) is the most common entrapment neuropathy caused by the compression of the median nerve in the carpal tunnel. Its prevalence is about 0.6¨C3.4% in general population. It is more common in females [1]. Common complaints are painful paresthesias or burning pain in the lateral half of the hand and the radial three fingers [2, 3]. Diagnosis is performed with the history, physical and neurological examination, electromyography, and nerve conduction velocity measurements [3]. In the management of CTS, conservative procedures and surgical approaches are well defined in the literature. Surgery is kept for severe cases and in whom conservative management fails. The aim of the surgery is to release the transverse carpal ligament and thereby to increase canal volume and reduce the pressure over the median nerve [4]. Different surgical approaches are defined. These may be divided into two main categories, endoscopic and nonendoscopic procedures. Nonendoscopic procedure includes a standard open technique (conventional), a wrist-incision technique, and midpalmar-incision technique [5]. In the present study, we aimed to compare the surgical results of two nonendoscopic different techniques, in the eastern part of Turkey, retrospectively. 2. Materials and Methods This study included 200 patients who were diagnosed with CTS in Bitlis State Hospital between May 2011 and May 2012. 95 patients who did not benefit from conservative management and
%U http://www.hindawi.com/journals/isrn.neurology/2013/721830/