Surgical ultrasound-guided carpal tunnel release

Ultrasound-guided surgery is a new trend stemming from the introduction of high-frequency linear probes and better quality screens. Surgical treatment of carpal tunnel syndrome is increasingly being performed under ultrasound guidance. Knowledge of musculoskeletal ultrasonography is obviously mandatory. Several types of cutting instruments (miniature knife, Gigli saw or hook) and surgical approaches (wrist or palm) have been described. Ultrasonography allows the wide-awake and local anesthesia with no tourniquet (WALANT) technique to be used in the context of ambulatory patient care. The practitioner must be aware of all the possible intraoperative and postoperative complications, and be able to treat them. The aim of this review is to analyze the literature on the feasibility and outcomes of surgical ultrasound-guided carpal tunnel release, and to compare it to the other validated techniques.