Bergum RA and Ciota MR.
Office-Based Carpal Tunnel Release Using Ultrasound Guidance in a Community Setting: Long-Term Results. Cureus. 2022;14(7):e27169. doi:10.7759/cureus.27169
To report the safety and effectiveness of office-based carpal tunnel release (CTR) using ultrasound (US) guidance in a general community population.
One-year follow up was available for 123 hands (69 right, 54 left) in 88 patients (57% female). All procedures were performed in an office-based procedure room using only local anesthesia. 46% (57/123) of hands were treated as simultaneous bilateral procedures. BCTQ-SSS, BCTQ-FSS, and QDASH scores demonstrated statistically significant improvements at 2 weeks, with mean reductions of 1.19, 0.64, and 14.06, respectively. Long-term outcomes were sustained at 1 year, with mean reductions of 1.73, 1.24, and 32.10, respectively. No statistically significant differences in improvement were observed between hands treated as part of unilateral, simultaneous bilateral, or staged bilateral procedures. No reports of neurovascular or tendon injuries, infections or significant post-surgical wound complications; no recurrences or reoperations.
Office-based CTR using US guidance is safe, effective and provides sustained clinical improvements at one-year follow-up in a community population. Simultaneous bilateral procedures were well tolerated and resulted in similar clinical improvements.