Idiopathic bilateral carpal tunnel syndrome in a 9-month-old infant presenting as a pseudo-dystonia

Carpal tunnel syndrome is the most common focal peripheral neuropathy seen in most electrophysiological laboratories. Although the incidence of carpal tunnel syndrome in adults is 50 to 150 cases per 100,000 people, it is rare in children. There are less than 200 case reports of carpal tunnel syndrome in children, with mucopolysaccharides and mucolipidosis being the most frequent cause. Idiopathic carpal tunnel syndrome with childhood onset occurs in less than 0.2% of cases.

We describe a 9-month-old infant who presented with intermittent abnormal posturing movement of both hands.

The clinical presentation and the electrophysiological studies confirmed the diagnosis of carpal tunnel syndrome. His dystonic posturing had disappeared completely 3 weeks after surgical release of both flexor retinaculi.

We are not only reporting the youngest child with carpal tunnel syndrome, but we also report a new cause of abnormal movement disorder in children.