Long-term outcome of carpal tunnel syndrome after conservative treatment

The purpose of this study was to investigate the long-term prognosis of patients with carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS). We prospectively followed-up patients with CTS for 80 weeks. Thirty cases had been treated with a single injection of methylprednisolone acetate and another 30 with a 10-day course of prednisolone. At the end of the follow-up period, there were no significant differences in symptoms as measured by global symptom score and in the proportion of patients who progressed to decompressive surgery. Few patients who were not operated on (11.4%) remain asymptomatic.