Triamcinolone Acetonide Vs Procaine Hydrochloride Injection In The Management Of Carpal Tunnel Syndrome: Randomized Placebo-Controlled Trial

Objective: The aim of this trial was to compare the efficacy of triamcinolone acetonide and procaine HCI with that of placebo in the treatment of carpal tunnel syndrome. Design: This prospective, randomized placebo-controlled trial included 57 patients (90 median nerves). Ninety median nerves were randomly assigned to 1 of 3 groups: group 1 was injected with 1 ml 0.09% saline, group 2 was injected with 40 mg triamcinolone acetonide, and group 3 was injected with 4 ml 1% procaine HCI. Clinical and electrophysiological evaluations were performed at study onset, and at 2 and 6 months post-treatment. Results: At study onset no significant differences were observed between groups with respect to clinical and electrophysiological parameters. Clinical and electrophysiological evaluations was improved significantly in groups 2 and 3 at post-treatment (p0.05). Moreover, groups 2 and 3 had better scores than group 1 at 2 and 6 months post-treatment (p0.05). Conclusion: Triamcinolone acetonide and procaine HCI injections are effective regarding short- and long-term outcomes compared with placebo injections, and procaine HCI injection was as effective as steroid injection. Adapted from the source document.