title: Electrodiagnosis in carpal tunnel syndrome.
abstract: There is currently no gold standard to definitively diagnose carpal tunnel syndrome. It remains a clinical diagnosis supported by characteristic electrodiagnostic abnormalities. Properly performed electrodiagnostic studies should provide the hand surgeon with information regarding severity, progression if a previous study was performed, and a reasonable assurance that concomitant peripheral nervous system abnormalities are not present. Hand surgeons do not need to discern nuances of an electrodiagnostic evaluation; however, the ability to identify state-of-the-art techniques coupled with a thoughtful interpretation by the electrodiagnostician will improve their confidence in using this important diagnostic tool to evaluate carpal tunnel syndrome.
authors.affiliation: Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, University of California Davis Medical Center, University of California, 4860 Y Street, Suite 3850, Sacramento, CA 95817, USA. ddkilmer@ucdavis.edu
authors.forename: David D
authors.initials: DD
authors.lastname: Kilmer
authors.forename: Brian A
authors.initials: BA
authors.lastname: Davis
mesh_terms: D002349:Carpal Tunnel Syndrome / Q000175:diagnosis*; D004576:Electromyography / Q000379:methods*; D006801:Humans; D009431:Neural Conduction / Q000502:physiology*; D017063:Outcome Assessment, Health Care; D011237:Predictive Value of Tests; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity