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Updated: Oct 21, 2025

Screening of Axonal Degeneration in Carpal Tunnel Syndrome Using Ultrasonography and Nerve Conduction Studies
Published on: January 11, 2019
Median nerve and carpal arch morphology changes in women with type 2 diabetes: a case-control study
Kishor Lakshminarayanan1, Rakshit Shah2
1Department of Sensors and Biomedical Engineering, Vellore Institute of Technology, Vellore, Tamil Nadu, 632014, India. kishor.ln@vit.ac.in.
Background:
The aim of this study is to investigate the changes in median nerve and transverse carpal ligament (TCL)-formed carpal arch morphology as possible risk factors for median nerve entrapment in women with type 2 diabetes.
Methods:
The distal carpal tunnel was imaged using ultrasound in 30 female subjects (15 with type 2 diabetes, 15 controls). The morphological parameters of the median nerve and carpal arch were derived from the ultrasound images. One-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) was used for statistical analysis.
Results:
Diabetic women had an enlarged median nerve area (p < 0.05), salong with a maller carpal arch size, as indicated by a reduced palmar bowing index of the TCL (p < 0.05), and arch area (p < 0.05) than controls. The distance from the median nerve centroid to the volar boundary of the TCL was reduced in diabetic women (p < 0.05) compared to the controls.
Conclusions:
Women with type 2 diabetes have reduced available space for the median nerve within the carpal arch due to the enlarged nerve and reduced arch size, making the median nerve more susceptible to entrapment within the tunnel. The current study shows that presence of diabetes increases the risk of median nerve entrapment in women and requires early detection of symptoms to avoid carpal tunnel syndrome.
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