title: Outcome of simple decompression of the compressed ulnar nerve at the elbow - influence of smoking, gender, and electrophysiological findings.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Compression of the ulnar nerve at elbow is frequently treated with simple decompression. Knowledge about factors influencing results of surgery of the nerve is limited and contradictory. The primary aim was to evaluate outcome of simple decompression of the nerve using a QuickDASH questionnaire, and to investigate any influence of smoking, gender, and preoperative electrophysiological findings. A second aim was to estimate the relation between QuickDASH score and a clinical assessment of outcome by the surgeon.
  
  
  METHODS
  Patients who were operated on with simple decompression of the ulnar nerve, excluding reoperations, from September 2009 to February 2011 were evaluated before and at 1 year after surgery using QuickDASH. Data were collected from medical records and from a self-reported health declaration.
  
  
  RESULTS
  There were no differences in QuickDASH scores or change in total score between smokers and non-smokers or between women and men. Nerve pathology, assessed by preoperative electrophysiology, did not affect outcome. The surgeon's assessment of outcome mirrored QuickDASH score. Among all patients, 12/33 (36%) did not have a decrease in QuickDASH score >8, which is considered as a minimal clinically important difference.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Smoking, gender, and preoperative electrophysiological findings do not affect outcome of surgery. There are a high number of patients who do not benefit from simple decompression of the ulnar nerve at the elbow. Patients who are planned for surgery should be informed that there is a risk for persistent problems. A simple outcome assessment by the surgeon mirrors QuickDASH score at 1 year.
authors.affiliation: a Department of Hand Surgery , Lund University, Skåne University Hospital , Malmö , Sweden.
authors.forename: Erik
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Dahlin
authors.affiliation: a Department of Hand Surgery , Lund University, Skåne University Hospital , Malmö , Sweden.
authors.forename: Emma
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Dahlin
authors.affiliation: b Department of Clinical Neurophysiology , Skåne University Hospital , Lund , Sweden.|c Department of Clinical Sciences Lund - Clinical Neurophysiology , Lund University , Lund , Sweden.
authors.forename: Gert S
authors.initials: GS
authors.lastname: Andersson
authors.affiliation: a Department of Hand Surgery , Lund University, Skåne University Hospital , Malmö , Sweden.
authors.forename: Niels O B
authors.initials: NO
authors.lastname: Thomsen
authors.affiliation: a Department of Hand Surgery , Lund University, Skåne University Hospital , Malmö , Sweden.
authors.forename: Anders
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Björkman
authors.affiliation: a Department of Hand Surgery , Lund University, Skåne University Hospital , Malmö , Sweden.|d Department of Translational Medicine - Hand Surgery , Lund University , Malmö , Sweden.
authors.forename: Lars B
authors.initials: LB
authors.lastname: Dahlin
mesh_terms: D019299:Decompression, Surgical; D004185:Disability Evaluation; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009431:Neural Conduction; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012737:Sex Factors; D012907:Smoking; D014459:Ulnar Nerve / Q000601:surgery*; D017769:Ulnar Nerve Compression Syndromes / Q000601:surgery*
keywords: Decompression; electrophysiology; gender; outcome; smoking; ulnar nerve compression