Correlation of Different Ultrasonographic Indices With Clinical Parameters in Carpal Tunnel Syndrome

Overview

The aim of this study is to investigate the relationship between different ultrasonographic indices used in patients with carpal tunnel syndrome and clinical parameters. The main questions it aims to answer are: * To what extent are the ultrasonographic parameters used in the diagnosis of carpal tunnel syndrome related to the patient's clinical complaints? * To what extent are the different ultrasonographic parameters used in the diagnosis of carpal tunnel syndrome correlated with each other?

Carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS) is the most common entrapment neuropathy and the main mechanism is compression of the median nerve under the transverse ligament at the wrist level. In CTS, neuropathic complaints such as numbness, burning and tingling in the palmar face of the first two fingers, which are the innervation area of the median nerve, and fatigue in the hand are the most common symptoms. In the diagnosis of CTS, the diagnosis is made electrodiagnostically along with typical clinical findings. However, in recent years, ultrasound has become one of the most preferred methods in the diagnosis of CTS because it is non-invasive, rapid and correlates with electrodiagnostic methods. Diameter, cross-sectional area and echogenicity of the median nerve at the carpal tunnel entrance are the most frequently evaluated parameters in ultrasonographic examination. In different studies, it is aimed to increase the power of ultrasonography in the diagnosis of CTS with various indices created in addition to standardized measurements. The most commonly used ultrasonographic indices, which have been shown to be correlated with electrodiagnostic diagnostic methods, are the wrist-forearm median nerve cross-sectional area ratio, the ratio of median nerve cross-sectional area to carpal tunnel area at the carpal tunnel entry level, and echogenicity assessment. Although the relationship of these indexes, which are reported to have sufficient diagnostic sensitivity and specificity, with the patient's clinical complaints is shown on a measurement basis, there is not enough data on the comparison of different formulas and their correlation with the patient's clinical complaints, including neuropathic pain.Based on this, this study aimed to investigate the relationship between ultrasonographic indices used in patients diagnosed with CTS and clinical parameters.