Evaluation of release surgery for idiopathic carpal tunnel syndrome: endoscopic versus open method.

To evaluate the usefulness of endoscopic carpal tunnel release (ECTR) on patients with idiopathic carpal tunnel syndrome, multiple aspects of the results of 44 hands (42 patients) treated by ECTR and 40 hands (40 patients) treated by open carpal tunnel release (OCTR) were compared. Results of ECTR were compared with those of OCTR to study not only recovery rate and surgical safety but also cost-effectiveness. Although ECTR was much less invasive than OCTR, recovery of median nerve palsy in the ECTR group was not as good as that in the OCTR group one month after the surgery. Three months after surgery, the palsy of patients treated by ECTR had improved to almost the same extent as in those treated by OCTR. There were no major surgical complications in both ECTR and OCTR groups. The cost and time needed for ECTR treatment was 1/3 of those needed for OCTR. ECTR reduced both cost and treatment time, which is beneficial for both doctors and patients.