PROPOSAL FOR SLOVENIAN RECOMMENDATIONS FOR THE TREATMENT OFPATIENTS WITH CARPAL TUNNEL SYNDROME
Abstract
BACKGROUND Entrapment neuropathy of the median nerve in the carpal tunnel (NMCT) is the mostcommon lesion of the peripheral nervous system. Clinically it presents as night-time ormorning numbness and tingling in at least two out of the first four digits (i. e. carpal tunnelsyndrome – CTS). Due to a large number of such patients we suggest general practitionersto refer all patients with typical and pronounced CTS symptoms directly to the nerve conductionstudies. Referred patients should not refuse surgical release, and their symptomsshould last at least 6 months. In patients with normal neurophysiologic findings clinicalfollow-up, and in case of severe symptoms application of splints during the night is recommended.Those with pathologic neurophysiologic findings should be referred to surgeons.In patients with typical findings in whom NMCT was previously confirmed neurophysiologicallywe do not recommend repeated measurements. CONCLUSIONS In the paper we present our suggestions for management of patients with CTS. Nerve conductionstudies are proposed only in patients with severe symptoms of long duration, whoagree with surgical release of the median nerve. In patients with neurophysiologically confirmedNMCT relatively early surgical release is suggested. Besides providing a practical help to physicians in their practice, these recommendations are also aimed to constitute thebase for further discussions and official recommendations for SloveniaDownloads
The Author transfers to the Publisher (Zdravniški vestnik/Slovenian Medical Journal) all economic copyrights following form Article 22 of the Slovene Copyright and Related Rights Act (ZASP), including the right of reproduction, the right of distribution, the rental right, the right of public performance, the right of public transmission, the right of public communication by means of phonograms and videograms, the right of public presentation, the right of broadcasting, the right of rebroadcasting, the right of secondary broadcasting, the right of communication to the public, the right of transformation, the right of audiovisual adaptation and all other rights of the author according to ZASP.
The aforementioned rights are transferred non-exclusively, for an unlimited number of editions, for the term of the statutory
The Author can make use of his work himself or transfer subjective rights to others only after 3 months from date of first publishing in the journal Zdravniški vestnik/Slovenian Medical Journal.
The Publisher (Zdravniški vestnik/Slovenian Medical Journal) has the right to transfer the rights, acquired parties without explicit consent of the Author.
The Author consents that the Article be published under the Creative Commons BY-NC 4.0 (attribution-non-commercial) or comparable licence.
