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A Detailed Comparison of Preoperative Complaints in Severe Carpal Tunnel Syndrome versus Recurrent Carpal Tunnel Syndrome Using the Boston Carpal Tunnel Questionnaire

Departments of Plastic Surgery and Physical Rehabilitation, Ziekenhuis Waregem, Vijfseweg 150, Waregem, Belgium

tom@handrevalidatie.be

Correspondence to: Tom Lattré, Ziekenhuis Waregem, Vijfseweg 150, 8790 Waregem, Belgium. Tel: +32 56 62 33 80, Fax: +32 56 62 30 20.

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Kurt CLAEYS

Campus Bruges, Department of Rehabilitation Sciences, Katholic University Leuven, Spoorwegstraat 12, Bruges, Belgium

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Steven PARMENTIER

Departments of Plastic Surgery and Physical Rehabilitation, Ziekenhuis Waregem, Vijfseweg 150, Waregem, Belgium

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, and

Carlo VAN HOLDER

https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3068-1279

Departments of Plastic Surgery and Physical Rehabilitation, Ziekenhuis Waregem, Vijfseweg 150, Waregem, Belgium

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https://doi.org/10.1142/S2424835522500060Cited by:1 (Source: Crossref)

Abstract

Background: The Boston Carpal Tunnel Questionnaire (BCTQ) has a symptom severity scale (SSS) with 11 questions and a functional status scale (FSS) with 8 questions. The final score for each scale is the sum divided by the number of questions and ranges between 1 and 5. A score of 1 indicates they have no complaints and 5 indicates high severity and functional loss. Unfortunately, this single digit score does not permit a detailed analysis of the symptoms and functional status. The aim of this study is to conduct an in-depth comparison of preoperative complaints using the BCTQ between patients with severe carpal tunnel syndrome (SCTS) and recurrent carpal tunnel syndrome (RCTS).

Methods: This is a retrospective cohort study on the preoperative status of 37 patients with SCTS and 18 patients with RCTS using the BCTQ. The questions in the SSS and FSS were classified into four groups based on the responses of patients, namely a low complaint (LC) (1–1.99), moderate complaint (MC) (2–2.99), high complaint (HC) (3–3.99), and severe complaint (SC) (4–5) groups. The patients in the SCTS and RCTS groups were compared to find differences in age, gender, hand dominance, and responses to questions in the SSS and FSS.

Results: The age of patients in the SCTS group (76.06 years) was significantly higher compared to the RCTS group (51.11 years). There was no significant difference between the two groups with regard to gender or hand dominance. The top question with SC or HC response in the SCTS group was problems in grasping small objects (SSS) and fastening buttons (FSS) and in the RCTS group was tingling in the hand (SSS) and difficulty with opening a jar (FSS).

Conclusions: An in-depth analysis of the BCTQ allowed us to compare and understand differences in symptoms and function between patients with SCTS and RCTS.

Level of Evidence: Level III (Therapeutic)

Keywords:

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