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Updated: Jul 15, 2026
Screening of Axonal Degeneration in Carpal Tunnel Syndrome Using Ultrasonography and Nerve Conduction Studies
Published on: January 11, 2019
Use of quantitative abductor pollicis brevis strength testing in patients with carpal tunnel syndrome
Fan Liu1, H Kirk Watson, Lois Carlson
1Nantong, Jiangsu, China; Hartford and New Haven, Conn.; and Pittsburgh, Pa. From the Department of Orthopedic Surgery, Nantong Medical College; Connecticut Combined Hand Surgery, Hartford Hospital, University of Connecticut; Children's Hospital, Hartford, and Yale University; and Division of Plastic Surgery, University of Pittsburgh Medical Center.
Background:
Diagnosis of carpal tunnel syndrome remains clinical, despite many objective clinical and electrophysiologic tests. There is also a need to objectively assess the severity of involvement and the need for surgery, and to document response to treatment. The authors evaluated a hand-held strength-testing device for assessment of abductor pollicis brevis strength in patients with carpal tunnel syndrome.
Methods:
Sixty-two hands in 50 patients (39 women and 11 men) aged 26 to 57 years were examined. All hands were evaluated before and 6 weeks after surgery. Nineteen hands were available for 7-year follow-up.
Results:
Abductor pollicis brevis strength following carpal tunnel release increased significantly from a mean of 2.3 kg to 3.1 kg. The strength further increased in all long-term follow-up patients.
Conclusions:
Quantitative strength testing can be used to document changes in abductor pollicis brevis strength in response to treatment in patients with carpal tunnel syndrome. Further study is needed to assess the reliability of this testing method using multiple examiners in patients with carpal tunnel syndrome, and to evaluate the utility of using this device in tracking the long-term outcome of patients after carpal tunnel release.
