Hydrodissection With or Without Corticosteroid Versus Corticosteroid-Only Injection for Carpal Tunnel Syndrome: Double-Blind Randomized Controlled Trial.

Study Summary

39 patients (66 wrists) with carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS) were randomized to either receive hydrodissection alone (UGHD-S) (n=22), hydrodissection combined with corticosteroid (UGHD-TS) (n=22) or corticosteroid alone (CS)(n=22). The primary outcome of interest was the cross-sectional area of the median nerve. The secondary outcomes of interest were the Symptom Severity Scale (SSS) of the Boston Carpal Tunnel Questionnaire (BCTQ), the Functional Status Scale (FSS) of BCTQ, nerve conduction velocity (NCV), electrodiagnostic study (EDx) test data, hand grip strength, and visual analog scales (VAS) for subjective pain and paresthesia. The results of the study revealed that all three groups showed significant improvement in the CSA of the median nerve. Similarly, all three groups showed significant improvement in the BCTQ scores, FSS, VAS for pain and paresthesia, sensory NCV and DL, and the motor DL. No differences were observed between the three groups in all outcomes.