ABSTRACT
Idiopathic, pregnancy, obesity, occupation, trauma and underlying disease are the causes of carpal tunnel syndrome. This chapter describes the procedure for performing a surgical decompression of the median nerve in carpal tunnel syndrome. The procedure can be performed under local anaesthetic, regional block or general anaesthetic with the patient positioned with his or her marked side extended on an arm table. The main advantages of this procedure: Minimal scarring, lower incidence of wound complications and earlier return to work. The chapter addresses how to identify the median nerve from the surrounding tendons. It analyses what branches of the median nerve can be damaged during this operation. The chapter also investigates the question: Is there an alternative surgical approach to treatment?.
