Abstract
Objective: Electrodiagnostic diagnostic tests are the most reliable method in the diagnosis of carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS). The rates of patients who were referred to the electrophysiology laboratory from outpatient clinics with a pre-diagnosis of CTS, the scores of the Turkish version of the Boston Carpal Tunnel Syndrome Questionnaire (BCTSQ), one of the frequently used questionnaires to aid diagnosis, and their relationship with the job exposure were evaluated.
Material and Methods: 200 patients, who were referred to our electrophysiology laboratory due to initial diagnosis of CTS, were included. All the patients self recorded demographic findings, comorbid diseases, duration of complaints, daily working time, jobs and Turkish version of BCTSQ
Results: 94 of 200 patients who were referred to our electrophysiology laboratory with a pre-diagnosis of CTS were diagnosed with carpal tunnel syndrome according to their electrophysiological findings. 94 CTS patients; 53 (56.4%) were housewives, 31(33%) were blue collar and 10 (10.6%) were white collar. Statistically significant correlation was found between CTS and age, number of births, menopause, obesity (p <0.05). However, no statistically significant difference was found between gender, comorbid diseases, duration of complaints and daily working hours. There was a statistically significant difference between electrophysiological results and BCTSQ Symptom Severity Scale, but no significant difference was found between the Functional Status Scale.
Conclusion: This study confirms that age, number of births, menopause and obesity are important risk factors for CTS. The fact that the number of patients referred to our laboratory is higher than those with CTS detected electrophysiologically suggests that patient evaluation in outpatient clinics is not sufficient. In order to increase this rate, easier and more understandable questionnaire tests can be done. We believe that detailed clinical evaluation and examination (Tinel and Phalen test) will prevent unnecessary tests.