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PROMs for Carpal Tunnel Syndrome

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Abstract

Carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS) is a relatively common condition that results from median nerve entrapment at the wrist and is characterized by distinctive clinical manifestations. However, in spite of being the most common compression neuropathy in the upper extremity, it still lacks the gold standard for diagnosis. Furthermore, the existing objective measures for assessment have failed to show significant correlations with post-management clinical outcomes whether the treatment approach adopted was conservative or surgical. This paved the way for patient reported outcome measures to be a key indicator of the syndrome’s diagnosis as well as treatment outcomes. This chapter will outline the role of patient reported outcome measures in the diagnosis and management of CTS. It will also discuss the newly introduced “carpal tunnel response” and its value in optimizing outcomes in carpal tunnel syndrome patients. It aims at improving the quality and efficiency of the patients’ care in standard practice by outlining the role of the patient reported data in the appropriate information gathering and decision-making processes involved in CTS diagnosis and management.

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Acknowledgement

Special thanks to Dr. Kirstin Weyrich, Consultant Neurologist, Darent Valley Hospital, Kent, England, for peer reviewing this chapter.

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Correspondence to Yasser El Miedany .

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Appendices

Appendix 1: Modified Boston Carpal Tunnel Questionnaire

figure a

Appendix 2: Carpal Tunnel PROMs diagnosis questionnaire

figure b

Appendix 3: Carpal Tunnel Severity Index

figure c

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El Miedany, Y. (2016). PROMs for Carpal Tunnel Syndrome. In: El Miedany, Y. (eds) Patient Reported Outcome Measures in Rheumatic Diseases. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-32851-5_13

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