Biomaterial Database

Recovery of sensory function after surgical decompression in carpal tunnel syndrome. 1996

O P Nygaard, and J H Trumpy, and S I Mellgren

Department of Neurosurgery, University Hospital of Tromsø, Norway.

The function of thick and thin sensory nerve fibers after surgical decompression in carpal tunnel syndrome were evaluated using quantitative sensory testing (QST). The thin nerve fibers were studied using tests for thermal thresholds, and the thick myelinated fibers by vibrametry. The tests were performed before surgery and at 6 weeks, 4 and 10 months after surgery. The improvement of function in thin nerve fibers came within 6 weeks (P = 0.001). The improvement of function in thick myelinated fibers continued to improve until 4 months after the operation (P = 0.0001). This difference in the time course of the recovery indicates that the thick myelinated nerve fibers were more affected than the thin nerve fibers. The function of both type sensory nerve fibers did also improve in the fifth finger (P = 0.05). The function in thin nerve fibers worsened somewhat between 6 weeks and 4 months after surgery, possibly due to postoperative scar tissue.

UI	MeSH Term	Description	Entries
D008297	Male		Males
D008875	Middle Aged	An adult aged 45 - 64 years.	Middle Age
D010147	Pain Measurement	Scales, questionnaires, tests, and other methods used to assess pain severity and duration in patients or experimental animals to aid in diagnosis, therapy, and physiological studies.	Analgesia Tests,Analogue Pain Scale,Formalin Test,McGill Pain Questionnaire,Nociception Tests,Pain Assessment,Pain Intensity,Pain Severity,Tourniquet Pain Test,Visual Analogue Pain Scale,Analog Pain Scale,Assessment, Pain,McGill Pain Scale,Visual Analog Pain Scale,Analgesia Test,Analog Pain Scales,Analogue Pain Scales,Formalin Tests,Intensity, Pain,Measurement, Pain,Nociception Test,Pain Assessments,Pain Intensities,Pain Measurements,Pain Questionnaire, McGill,Pain Scale, Analog,Pain Scale, Analogue,Pain Scale, McGill,Pain Severities,Pain Test, Tourniquet,Questionnaire, McGill Pain,Scale, Analog Pain,Scale, Analogue Pain,Scale, McGill Pain,Severity, Pain,Test, Analgesia,Test, Formalin,Test, Nociception,Test, Tourniquet Pain,Tests, Nociception,Tourniquet Pain Tests
D010468	Perceptual Disorders	Cognitive disorders characterized by an impaired ability to perceive the nature of objects or concepts through use of the sense organs. These include spatial neglect syndromes, where an individual does not attend to visual, auditory, or sensory stimuli presented from one side of the body.	Hemispatial Neglect,Hemisensory Neglect,Sensory Neglect,Somatosensory Discrimination Disorder,Discrimination Disorder, Somatosensory,Discrimination Disorders, Somatosensory,Hemisensory Neglects,Hemispatial Neglects,Neglect, Hemisensory,Neglect, Hemispatial,Neglect, Sensory,Neglects, Hemisensory,Perceptual Disorder,Sensory Neglects,Somatosensory Discrimination Disorders
D002349	Carpal Tunnel Syndrome	Entrapment of the MEDIAN NERVE in the carpal tunnel, which is formed by the flexor retinaculum and the CARPAL BONES. This syndrome may be associated with repetitive occupational trauma (CUMULATIVE TRAUMA DISORDERS); wrist injuries; AMYLOID NEUROPATHIES; rheumatoid arthritis (see ARTHRITIS, RHEUMATOID); ACROMEGALY; PREGNANCY; and other conditions. Symptoms include burning pain and paresthesias involving the ventral surface of the hand and fingers which may radiate proximally. Impairment of sensation in the distribution of the median nerve and thenar muscle atrophy may occur. (Joynt, Clinical Neurology, 1995, Ch51, p45)	Compression Neuropathy, Carpal Tunnel,Entrapment Neuropathy, Carpal Tunnel,Amyotrophy, Thenar, Of Carpal Origin,Median Neuropathy, Carpal Tunnel,Carpal Tunnel Syndromes,Syndrome, Carpal Tunnel,Syndromes, Carpal Tunnel
D005260	Female		Females
D006801	Humans	Members of the species Homo sapiens.	Homo sapiens,Man (Taxonomy),Human,Man, Modern,Modern Man
D000328	Adult	A person having attained full growth or maturity. Adults are of 19 through 44 years of age. For a person between 19 and 24 years of age, YOUNG ADULT is available.	Adults
D000368	Aged	A person 65 years of age or older. For a person older than 79 years, AGED, 80 AND OVER is available.	Elderly
D012684	Sensory Thresholds	The minimum amount of stimulus energy necessary to elicit a sensory response.	Sensory Threshold,Threshold, Sensory,Thresholds, Sensory