[Surgical opening of the carpal tunnel. Long-term results]

The authors present the results of surgery of a short series cases of compression of the median nerve. All cases involved idiopathic acroparesthesia. The surgical technique was the same in all cases: opening and resection of the large annular ligament, and opening of "loge de Guyon". All the patients were seen again by the same observer 1 to 6 years later (average time after surgery 2 1/2 years). The results were excellent as regards pain and subjective sensory disorders. In contrast, the muscular atrophy was little improved. The results of comparative electric examinations (19 cases) were improved, except where there were pre-operative signs of considerable denervation. In conclusion, the authors think that surgical opening should be restricted to patients presenting signs of serious denervation and to those who no longer benefit from medical infiltration treatment.