Ultrasonographic assessment of mild and moderate idiopathic carpal tunnel syndrome

AIM: To investigate the diagnostic value of ultrasonography in mild and moderate idiopathic carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS). MATERIALS AND METHODS: Cross-sectional areas (CSA), flattening ratios at three different levels, swelling ratio, and palmar displacement were analysed in 26 patients (14 with bilateral and 12 with unilateral disease, 40 wrists in total) for the presence and the severity of CTS. Twenty had normal nerve conduction studies (NCS) defined as “mild”, and 20 of them had abnormal NCS defined as “moderate”. The control group consisted of 20 healthy participants. RESULTS: All parameters were significantly different between patient and control groups. Palmar displacement, swelling ratio, CSA at all levels and distal flattening ratio had the highest significance ( p9 mm 2 and the palmar displacement >2.5 mm. All of these criteria had a higher sensitivity in diagnosing moderate cases (85–100%) than diagnosing mild cases (30–55%). There was a significant difference between normal and mild CTS groups regarding palmar displacement, distal flattening ratio, middle CSA and swelling ratio ( p2.5 mm) may be helpful for the verification of the diagnosis.