[Carpal tunnel syndrome as an unrecognized disease in the aged]

Although the symptoms are very characteristical (in our patients 91,5% pain, 69,2% disturbed sensibility and 29,2% weakness) and the neurological diagnosis is typical (82,9% disturbed sensibility, 30,6% weakness, 57,1% atrophy of the thenar muscle) faults in diagnosis are possible. Particularly in old age it is mistaken for vertebral or vascular diseases. If conservative treatment is ineffective or the compression of the nerve is enlarging fast, surgical treatment will be indicated. In this case you can get freedom of pain in 66,6% in applying the right method of operation (5 different methods in micro-neurosurgery are available). Since May 1981 we use laser-surgery with great success. We checked (in average 13 months after the operation) 111 of 133 patients (33 male, 100 female, age of 16-84 most of them in the 6. decade) and got those results: 58,7% very good, 14,8% good, 15,7% satisfying and 5,8% unchanged.