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February 19, 2016
Contributors: Alvaro Iborra, DPM; Homid Fahandez-Saddi, MD; Manuel Villanueva, MD, PhD; Manuel Villanueva, MD, PhD
Approximately 1 million adults in the United States develop carpal tunnel syndrome annually. Carpal tunnel release is the most common surgically treated entrapment neuropathy and is the most frequent surgical procedure performed on the hand and wrist, with nearly 500,000 operations per year in the United States. Endoscopic or ultrasound-guided techniques have progressively reduced surgical approaches. Ultrasound-guided release can be performed using an anterograde approach or a retrograde approach with different instruments. In this video, we show how to perform ultrasound-guided carpal tunnel release and thus speed up the surgeon's learning curve. We found ultrasound-guided carpal tunnel release to be safe, helpful, and successful. It is performed with local anesthesia, without ischemia, and in an outpatient regimen. The use of high-resolution devices improves accuracy and may help to prevent complications. The concept of ultra-minimal invasive surgery is more than just the size of the incision. It can prevent pain and excessive bleeding, reduce complications and contraindications, and speed up recovery