Carpal tunnel syndrome: A new objective evaluation technique

Carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS) is a common median nerve compression neuropathy involving both sensory and motor components. Its prevalence has been reported to be as high as 5.8% in females and 0.6% in males (1). A diagnosis of CTS requires a combination of patient history, subjective findings and objective testing (2). The most sensitive, nonspecific subjective complaint is numbness (3). Nerve conduction study is the gold standard diagnostic test. Although 90% sensitive (4), this test is expensive and time consuming to subject all patients to this test. We order nerve conduction testing selectively for patients with equivocal findings or history. Numerous provocative tests exist to diagnose CTS, each with its own specificity and sensitivity (5-7). Direct compression over the flexor retinaculum, the