Comparison of Two Techniques for the Treatment of Carpal Tunnel Syndrome

Carpal Tunnel Syndrome Clinical Trial

— STCCOT  

Official title:

Comparison of Two Techniques for the Treatment of Carpal Tunnel Syndrome: A Randomized Clinical Trial

Clinical Trial Details — Status: Completed

Administrative data

• NCT number: NCT05468814
• Other study ID #: STCOT
• Status: Completed
• Phase: N/A
• Start date: January 28, 2022
• Est. completion date: May 28, 2023

Study information

• Verified date: June 2023
• Source: Hospital Universitario Reina Sofia de Cordoba
• Contact: n/a
• Is FDA regulated: No
• Study type: Interventional

Clinical Trial Summary

The main objective of this study is to compare the complete section of the transverse carpal ligament with another median nerve release technique and to determine if the incidence of post-surgical pillar pain is lower for either of the two surgical techniques. As secondary objectives, we also seek to determine if the postsurgical grip and pincer strength and the Boston Carpal Tunnel Questionnaire (BCTQ) score are better for either of the two surgical techniques.

Description:

It will be a randomized clinical trial with a sample size of about 80 patients. It will have two study groups: the experimental group (in which 40 patients will be included) where a Z-plasty technique will be applied; and the control group (another 40 patients) who will undergo the conventional technique of complete section of the transverse carpal ligament. The main variable will be the presence or absence of post-surgical pillar pain and, as secondary variables, the recovery of grip and pincer strength and the improvement in the BCTQ score will be studied.

The study population will be patients with carpal tunnel syndrome diagnosed clinically (pain and paresthesias in the first three fingers and radial edge of the fourth finger, nocturnal paresthesias, thenar muscle atrophy, loss of thumb opposition), examination (Durkan's signs , Phalen and Tinnel positive) and with a positive electromyogram test classified as "moderate" or "severe". As inclusion criteria, patients >18 years of age with moderate-severe carpal tunnel syndrome whose symptoms hinder the daily activities of the patient and who have failed conservative treatment will be considered. Those who have already undergone a previous surgical intervention for carpal tunnel syndrome in the same hand, who have traumatic or congenital sequelae in the hand or who do not have the capacity to understand the process or the tests to be performed will be excluded.

The total expected duration of each patient in the study will be 6 months and the following visits and procedures will be carried out: clinical study and quality questionnaires prior to surgery and post-surgical follow-up at 3-4 weeks and at 6 months in consultation, with repetition of clinical examination and quality questionnaires.

The incidence of pillar pain (defined as pain/sensation of allodynia in the area of the thenar and/or hypothenar eminence, hyperalgesia in the scar, pain when supporting the heel of the hand, dysesthesia at rest) will be analyzed applying the principle of intention to treat, using the Mann Whitney test to compare the score in the tests used.

Recruitment information / eligibility

• Status: Completed
• Enrollment: 109
• Est. completion date: May 28, 2023
• Est. primary completion date: April 28, 2023
• Accepts healthy volunteers: No
• Gender: All
• Age group: 18 Years to 100 Years

Eligibility

Inclusion Criteria:

• Age > 18 years

• Moderate-severe carpal tunnel syndrome

• Symptoms that hinder the patient's daily activities

• Correct conservative treatment without success

Exclusion Criteria:

• Previous surgical intervention for carpal tunnel syndrome

• Traumatic or congenital sequelae of the hand

• Incompetence to understand the process and the tests to be carried out

Related Conditions & MeSH terms

• Carpal Tunnel Syndrome
• Syndrome

Intervention

Procedure:
• Z-plasty
It is a surgical technique in which a Z-shaped section of the transverse carpal ligament is performed, to later join both ends with a resorbable stitch.
• Conventional
It is a surgical technique in which a complete section of the transverse carpal ligament is performed, without subsequent closure.

Locations

Country	Name	City	State
Spain	Hospital Universitario Reina Sofia	Cordoba

Sponsors (1)

Lead Sponsor	Collaborator
Hospital Universitario Reina Sofia de Cordoba

Country where clinical trial is conducted

Spain, 

References & Publications (22)

Bai J, Kong L, Zhao H, Yu K, Zhang B, Zhang J, Tian D. Carpal tunnel release with a new mini-incision approach versus a conventional approach, a retrospective cohort study. Int J Surg. 2018 Apr;52:105-109. doi: 10.1016/j.ijsu.2018.02.033. Epub 2018 Feb 20. — View Citation

Castro-Menendez M, Pagazaurtundua-Gomez S, Pena-Paz S, Huici-Izco R, Rodriguez-Casas N, Montero-Vieites A. Z-Elongation of the transverse carpal ligament vs. complete resection for the treatment of carpal tunnel syndrome. Rev Esp Cir Ortop Traumatol. 2016 Nov-Dec;60(6):355-365. doi: 10.1016/j.recot.2016.06.007. Epub 2016 Aug 25. English, Spanish. — View Citation

Chen L, Duan X, Huang X, Lv J, Peng K, Xiang Z. Effectiveness and safety of endoscopic versus open carpal tunnel decompression. Arch Orthop Trauma Surg. 2014 Apr;134(4):585-93. doi: 10.1007/s00402-013-1898-z. Epub 2014 Jan 12. — View Citation

Dias JJ, Bhowal B, Wildin CJ, Thompson JR. Carpal tunnel decompression. Is lengthening of the flexor retinaculum better than simple division? J Hand Surg Br. 2004 Jun;29(3):271-6. doi: 10.1016/j.jhsb.2004.01.011. — View Citation

Faour-Martín O, Martín-Ferrero MA, Valverde JA, Zuil-Acosta P, Amigo-Liñares L, Alarcón-García J, De la Red MA. The Simonetta Technique for Carpal Tunnel Syndrome: Immediate Postoperative Evaluation and Long-Term Comparative Study. Int Journal of Orthopaedics. 2014 1(3): 109-115

Genova A, Dix O, Saefan A, Thakur M, Hassan A. Carpal Tunnel Syndrome: A Review of Literature. Cureus. 2020 Mar 19;12(3):e7333. doi: 10.7759/cureus.7333. — View Citation

Hu K, Zhang T, Xu W. Intraindividual comparison between open and endoscopic release in bilateral carpal tunnel syndrome: a meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials. Brain Behav. 2016 Feb 16;6(3):e00439. doi: 10.1002/brb3.439. eCollection 2016 Mar. — View Citation

Kang HJ, Koh IH, Lee TJ, Choi YR. Endoscopic carpal tunnel release is preferred over mini-open despite similar outcome: a randomized trial. Clin Orthop Relat Res. 2013 May;471(5):1548-54. doi: 10.1007/s11999-012-2666-z. Epub 2012 Oct 26. — View Citation

Karlsson MK, Lindau T, Hagberg L. Ligament lengthening compared with simple division of the transverse carpal ligament in the open treatment of carpal tunnel syndrome. Scand J Plast Reconstr Surg Hand Surg. 1997 Mar;31(1):65-9. doi: 10.3109/02844319709010507. — View Citation

Khoshnevis J, Layegh H, Yavari N, Eslami G, Afsharfard A, Reza Kalantar-Motamedi SM, Zarrintan S. Comparing open conventional carpal tunnel release with mini-incision technique in the treatment of carpal tunnel syndrome: A non-randomized clinical trial. Ann Med Surg (Lond). 2020 May 16;55:119-123. doi: 10.1016/j.amsu.2020.05.001. eCollection 2020 Jul. — View Citation

Levine DW, Simmons BP, Koris MJ, Daltroy LH, Hohl GG, Fossel AH, Katz JN. A self-administered questionnaire for the assessment of severity of symptoms and functional status in carpal tunnel syndrome. J Bone Joint Surg Am. 1993 Nov;75(11):1585-92. doi: 10.2106/00004623-199311000-00002. — View Citation

Ludlow KS, Merla JL, Cox JA, Hurst LN. Pillar pain as a postoperative complication of carpal tunnel release: a review of the literature. J Hand Ther. 1997 Oct-Dec;10(4):277-82. doi: 10.1016/s0894-1130(97)80042-7. — View Citation

Michelotti BM, Vakharia KT, Romanowsky D, Hauck RM. A Prospective, Randomized Trial Comparing Open and Endoscopic Carpal Tunnel Release Within the Same Patient. Hand (N Y). 2020 May;15(3):322-326. doi: 10.1177/1558944718812129. Epub 2018 Nov 21. — View Citation

Murthy PG, Goljan P, Mendez G, Jacoby SM, Shin EK, Osterman AL. Mini-open versus extended open release for severe carpal tunnel syndrome. Hand (N Y). 2015 Mar;10(1):34-9. doi: 10.1007/s11552-014-9650-x. — View Citation

Netscher D, Steadman AK, Thornby J, Cohen V. Temporal changes in grip and pinch strength after open carpal tunnel release and the effect of ligament reconstruction. J Hand Surg Am. 1998 Jan;23(1):48-54. doi: 10.1016/S0363-5023(98)80088-9. — View Citation

Orhurhu V, Orman S, Peck J, Urits I, Orhurhu MS, Jones MR, Manchikanti L, Kaye AD, Odonkor C, Hirji S, Cornett EM, Imani F, Varrassi G, Viswanath O. Carpal Tunnel Release Surgery- A Systematic Review of Open and Endoscopic Approaches. Anesth Pain Med. 2020 Dec 26;10(6):e112291. doi: 10.5812/aapm.112291. eCollection 2020 Dec. — View Citation

Saravi MS, Kariminasab MH, Bari M, Ghaffari S, Razavipour M, Daneshpoor SM, Yazdi MV, Davoudi MM, Azar MS. A Comparison of Hand Pain and Hand Function after Z-plasty Reconstruction of the Transverse Carpal Ligament with Traditional Median Neurolysis in Carpal Tunnel Syndrome. Arch Bone Jt Surg. 2016 Apr;4(2):145-9. — View Citation

Shin EK. Endoscopic Versus Open Carpal Tunnel Release. Curr Rev Musculoskelet Med. 2019 Dec;12(4):509-514. doi: 10.1007/s12178-019-09584-0. — View Citation

Teng X, Xu J, Yuan H, He X, Chen H. Comparison of Wrist Arthroscopy, Small Incision Surgery, and Conventional Surgery for the Treatment of Carpal Tunnel Syndrome: A Retrospective Study at a Single Center. Med Sci Monit. 2019 Jun 3;25:4122-4129. doi: 10.12659/MSM.912912. — View Citation

Xu L, Huang F, Hou C. Treatment for carpal tunnel syndrome by coronal Z-type lengthening of the transverse carpal ligament. J Pak Med Assoc. 2011 Nov;61(11):1068-71. — View Citation

Zhang X, Li Y, Wen S, Zhu H, Shao X, Yu Y. Carpal tunnel release with subneural reconstruction of the transverse carpal ligament compared with isolated open and endoscopic release. Bone Joint J. 2015 Feb;97-B(2):221-8. doi: 10.1302/0301-620X.97B2.34423. — View Citation

Zuo D, Zhou Z, Wang H, Liao Y, Zheng L, Hua Y, Cai Z. Endoscopic versus open carpal tunnel release for idiopathic carpal tunnel syndrome: a meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials. J Orthop Surg Res. 2015 Jan 28;10:12. doi: 10.1186/s13018-014-0148-6. — View Citation

* Note: There are 22 references in all — Click here to view all references

Outcome

Type	Measure	Description	Time frame	Safety issue
Primary	Incidence of pillar pain	Pain/allodynia in the area of the thenar and/or hypothenar eminences, scar hyperalgesia, pain when supporting the heel of the hand, dysesthesia	3-4 weeks after surgery
Primary	Incidence of pillar pain	Pain/allodynia in the area of the thenar and/or hypothenar eminences, scar hyperalgesia, pain when supporting the heel of the hand, dysesthesia	6 months after surgery
Secondary	Grip and pincer strength	Grip strength and pincer strength measured with a dynamometer	pre-surgical, 3-4 weeks and 6 months after surgery
Secondary	BCTQ questionnaire	Boston Carpal Tunnel Syndrome Questionnaire used to evaluate the clinic of carpal tunnel syndrome	pre-surgical, 3-4 weeks and 6 months after surgery