Patient-Reported Disability Measures Do Not Correlate with Electrodiagnostic Severity in Carpal Tunnel Syndrome.

Authors

Jacob E Tulipan, Thomas Jefferson UniversityFollow
Kevin F F. Lutsky, Thomas Jefferson UniversityFollow
Mitchell G. Maltenfort, Thomas Jefferson UniversityFollow
Mitchell K. Freedman, Thomas Jefferson UniversityFollow
Pedro Beredjiklian, Rothman Institute at Thomas Jefferson UniversityFollow

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

8-1-2017

Comments

This article has been peer reviewed. It is the author’s final published version in Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery - Global Open

Volume 5, Issue 8, August 2017, Article number e1440

The published version is available at DOI: 10.1097/GOX.0000000000001440. Copyright © Tulipan et al.

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Electrophysiologic studies including electromyography and nerve conduction studies play a role in the evaluation of carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS), despite evidence that these studies do not correlate with CTS-specific symptom scores. There is a lack of evidence comparing electrophysiologic data with general measures of function.

METHODS: Fifty patients presenting for CTS treatment over an 8-month period were analyzed retrospectively. All patients completed surveys including the Quick Disabilities of the Arm, Shoulder, and Hand questionnaire (DASH) and the Medical Outcomes Study 12-Item Short-Form Survey [(physical component summary 12, mental component summary (MCS-12)]. Electromyography and nerve conduction studies were performed on all patients and compared with outcome scores.

RESULTS: Analysis demonstrated no relationship between DASH or MCS-12 and electrodiagnostic severity. No significant correlations were noted between DASH or MCS-12 and median motor or sensory latency. There was a moderate-weak correlation (rho = 0.34) between more severe electrophysiologic grade and better function based on physical component summary 12.

CONCLUSIONS: Electrodiagnostic severity grades do not correlate with patient-reported disability, including the DASH and MCS-12 surveys. There is a counterintuitive correlation between more-severe electrodiagnostic findings and decreased physical disability. These findings indicate that disability may not correlate with electrodiagnostic severity of median neuropathy in CTS.

Recommended Citation

Tulipan, Jacob E; Lutsky, Kevin F F.; Maltenfort, Mitchell G.; Freedman, Mitchell K.; and Beredjiklian, Pedro, "Patient-Reported Disability Measures Do Not Correlate with Electrodiagnostic Severity in Carpal Tunnel Syndrome." (2017). Department of Orthopaedic Surgery Faculty Papers. Paper 102.
https://jdc.jefferson.edu/orthofp/102

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 License.

PubMed ID

28894661