Outcomes of carpal tunnel release in diabetic and non-diabetic patients

Objective - To investigate the postoperative prognosis of carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS) in diabetic patients compared with non-diabetic patients. Material and methods - The outcomes of 22 diabetic patients were compared with those of 25 non-diabetic patients undergoing surgery by the open release method for CTS. Analysis of electrodiagnostic findings and assessment of global symptom score were performed preoperatively and 1 month and 1 year postoperatively. Results - A significant improvement in all the parameters occurred in both groups after the surgical decompression. However, a less significant improvement in these parameters was observed in the diabetic group than in the non-diabetic group (all of them P < 0.001). Conclusion - These findings suggest that CTS in diabetic patients does not only stem from external anatomic factors, but is also dependent on internal factors such as metabolic and vascular causes and that its treatment should include the correction of these factors.