title: Autologous blood injection in carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS).
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Most medical treatments for carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS) have focused on suppressing the inflammatory process. An injection of autologous blood might provide the necessary cellular and humoral mediators to induce a healing cascade. The purpose of this study was to evaluate prospectively autologous blood injection in CTS.
  
  
  METHODS
  Twenty patients with CTS were recruited using strict inclusion and exclusion criterias. All patients were injected with 1 ml of autologous blood and 0.5 ml lidocaeine 1% under the carpal tunnel. Pain intensity (based on VAS) and electrophysiologic parameters of median nerve (transcarpal SNCV, DML and DSL) were recorded before and 3 weeks after autologous blood injection.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The average pain scores before and 3 weeks after autologous blood injection was 8.70 +/- 0.92 and 4.30 +/- 0.76 respectively (P < 0.005). Also transcarpal SNCV of median nerve was 33.7 +/- 6.3 m/s and 24.5 +/- 6.8 m/s (P = 0.001); DML of medin nerve was 5.16 +/- 1.04 ms and 4.70 +/- 0.53 ms (P = 0.001) and DSL of median nerve was 4.84 +/- 0.77 ms and 4.2 +/- 0.6 ms (P = 0.001), respectively.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  After autologous blood injection, pain intensity and electerophysiologic parameters were significantly improved. This study offers encouraging results for an alternative minimally invasive treatment for CTS. This study cannot prove conclusively whether the blood itself induced an inflammatory cascade or the injury created by the injection was responsible.
authors.affiliation: Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran.
authors.forename: S M
authors.initials: SM
authors.lastname: Jazayeri
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Azizi
authors.forename: A R
authors.initials: AR
authors.lastname: Moghtaderi
mesh_terms: D000200:Action Potentials / Q000502:physiology; D000328:Adult; D001769:Blood; D002349:Carpal Tunnel Syndrome / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000628:therapy*; D004576:Electromyography; D006801:Humans; D007270:Injections, Intra-Articular; D008875:Middle Aged; D009431:Neural Conduction / Q000502:physiology; D010147:Pain Measurement; D011446:Prospective Studies