title: Prolonged median sensory latency as a predictor of future carpal tunnel syndrome.
abstract: The purpose of the study was to determine whether abnormal median sensory nerve conduction among asymptomatic workers was predictive of future symptoms suggestive of carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS). This was a prospective study involving 77 workers who were identified as asymptomatic cases with electrodiagnostic findings of median mononeuropathy compared to an age- and sex-matched control group. Follow-up was completed an average of 70 months later, and subjects who reported pain, numbness, tingling, or burning in the distribution of the median nerve, based upon a hand diagram, were classified as having CTS symptoms. The follow-up participation rate was 70%. Among subjects with abnormal median sensory latencies, 23% went on to develop symptoms consistent with CTS within the follow-up period, compared with 6% in the control group (P= .010). Age and hand repetition were also risk factors for CTS, but the majority of asymptomatic workers with a median mononeuropathy do not become symptomatic over an extended time.
authors.affiliation: Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, University of Michigan Medical Center, Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA. rawerner@umich.edu
authors.forename: R A
authors.initials: RA
authors.lastname: Werner
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Gell
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Franzblau
authors.forename: T J
authors.initials: TJ
authors.lastname: Armstrong
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D002349:Carpal Tunnel Syndrome / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000503:physiopathology*; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008475:Median Nerve / Q000503:physiopathology*; D008875:Middle Aged; D009431:Neural Conduction; D009475:Neurons, Afferent / Q000502:physiology*; D011237:Predictive Value of Tests; D011446:Prospective Studies; D011930:Reaction Time; D012307:Risk Factors