Carpal Tunnel Syndrome (CTS)
The carpal tunnel syndrome is caused by compression of the median nerve at the wrist, causing a malfunction. The patient has a pain in the hand that may radiate to the whole arm, often at night, accompanied by numbness on it or even the loss of strength.
Benefits of intervention
Surgical treatment of carpal tunnel syndrome makes all these patient’s symptoms improve quickly and successfully and allows an early comeback to normality.
Medical-technical description
This is done by what is known as a decompression of the median nerve at the wrist. It is a surgery performed with local anesthesia and therefore in an outpatient basis, allowing the patient's return to his home a few hours after the operation.
This procedure can be carried out basically in two ways:
- Classical surgery: through a small incision at the palm of the wrist, the annular ligament of the carpus is cut, which is the ligament that produces the compression, resulting in a decompression of the median nerve and restoring its normal function
- Arthroscopy: The section of the ligament is done, but this time through a skin incision of less than an inch, with the help of a vision system with a video camera. They get the same functional results with better aesthetic result
Intervention
Decompressive surgery of the carpal tunnel syndrome is performed in the operating room under local or locoregional anesthesia. The anesthesiologist performs a local anesthesia at the armpit, elbow or a local anesthetic at the level of the wrist itself. The duration of the surgery is about 10-15 minutes. The procedure is performed on an outpatient basis, allowing the patient to return to his home a few minutes after the intervention, but not without handing in a discharge report with recommendations, treatment and check up appointments.
Preoperative measures
- Assessment prior consultation, deciding and stating the specific aspects of the intervention and giving informed consent
- You must provide a comprehensive list of medicines you take regularly (including herbal medicines) at the time of the operation
- Conducting a preoperative evaluation consisting of a blood test, biochemical, coagulation, chest x-ray and ECG
- Wash previous night and morning of surgery with antiseptic soap, the area concerned
- Do not eat or drink 8 hours before surgery
- Do not wear any metal object during the operation (rings, bracelets, earrings, piercing, etc.)
Postoperative care
- It is possible that, after surgery, during the early days, you will feel some local discomfort or inflammation, which will disappear with medication prescribed by your surgeon
- Once discharged, you must contact us if you have chest pain or shortness of breath, pain, swelling or redness at the hand, sudden pain at the surgical area or fever and chills processes
- The incisions must not get wet until the removal of the stitches, which will be done in 5-10 days
- During the first month, the patient should not lift weight with the operated hand
- Patients will have to keep the operated limb elevated during 1 or 2 weeks, doing constant exercises opening and closing the fingers of the hand
