New Findings Reported from National Health Insurance Service Ilsan Hospital Describe Advances in Carpal Tunnel Syndrome (Infrared thermographic changes after decompression surgery in patients with carpal tunnel syndrome): Nervous System Diseases and Conditions – Carpal Tunnel Syndrome

Pain & Central Nervous System Daily News

2023 FEB 21 (NewsRx) -- By a News Reporter-Staff News Editor at Pain & Central Nervous System Daily News -- Fresh data on carpal tunnel syndrome are presented in a new report. According to news originating from the National Health Insurance Service Ilsan Hospital by NewsRx correspondents, research stated, “Digital infrared thermal imaging (DITI), which detects infrared rays emitted from body surface to create a body heat map, has been utilized at various musculocutaneous conditions. Notably, DITI can demonstrate autonomic vasomotor activity in the nerve-innervated area, and thus may be of use in carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS).”

Our news reporters obtained a quote from the research from National Health Insurance Service Ilsan Hospital: “In this study, we compared DITI findings before and after carpal tunnel release (CTR) surgery in patients with unilateral CTS to investigate the corresponding neurophysiological changes. In this retrospective cohort study, DITI parameters such as the temperature differences between the median and ulnar nerve territories and median nerve-innervated digital anisometry were measured. Subjective symptom duration, pain scale, and ultrasonographic findings were also compared before and after CTR. Patients were evaluated before and 6 weeks after CTR, respectively. A total of 27 patients aged 59.0 ± 11.2 years were finally included. After CTR, median nerve-innervated thermal anisometry was improved (2.55 ± 0.96 °C to 1.64 ± 1.34 °C; p = 0.003). The temperature differences between the median and ulnar nerve territories were not significantly changed. Subjective pain, the Simovic Weinberg Clinical Scale, and palmar bowing of the flexor retinaculum were also significantly improved (p < 0.001 for all comparisons).”

According to the news editors, the research concluded: “Our results demonstrated that DITI findings could reflect an improvement in autonomic function after CTR. Therefore, DITI can be an objective method to assess pre- and post-operative neurophysiologic changes in CTS.”

For more information on this research see: Infrared thermographic changes after decompression surgery in patients with carpal tunnel syndrome. BMC Musculoskeletal Disorders, 2023,24(1):1-7. (BMC Musculoskeletal Disorders - http://bmcmusculoskeletdisord.biomedcentral.com). The publisher for BMC Musculoskeletal Disorders is BMC.

A free version of this journal article is available at https://doi.org/10.1186/s12891-023-06193-4.

Our news journalists report that more information may be obtained by contacting Yeo Eun Park, Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, National Health Insurance Service Ilsan Hospital. Additional authors for this research include Sang-Eok Lee, Yoon Sik Eom, Jae Man Cho, Joong Won Yang, Man Su Kim, Heum Dai Kwon, Jang Woo Lee, Dougho Park.