[Surgery cures numbness of the hand. Long-term follow-up of carpal tunnel decompression].

One hundred and ninety-one hands with suspected carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS) were treated with surgical decompression of the median nerve. In a retrospective analysis 2.5-3 years later, an inquiry was carried out by questionnaire and the patients' records were examined to evaluate the final outcome. The questionnaire was answered by all 158 still living patients (ie, 175 hands), of whom 91 per cent reported numbness in the hand to have been completely relieved after surgery, while 23 per cent had had a recurrence of numbness, or other hand problems not clearly related to CTS, though just under half of this 23 per cent reported their symptoms to be milder than prior to operation. Thus, 2.5-3 years after surgical intervention, 85 per cent of the patients had recovered completely or improved; and 96 per cent were satisfied with the outcome. To conclude, surgical treatment of CTS is a technically simple operation with good final results.