Early versus delayed endoscopic surgery for carpal tunnel syndrome: prospective randomized study.

Objective To compare the effects of early versus delayed endoscopic surgery in patients with moderately severe carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS). Methods The study included 100 patients with CTS. Investigations performed before surgery excluded secondary causes. Patients with moderately severe CTS (grade 3–4) were randomly assigned. Bland’s neurophysiologic grading scale for CTS was used to assess the patients. Patients underwent an endoscopic carpal tunnel release using an indigenously designed instrument. Results Following a course of conservative treatment, surgical treatment was offered in two groups: early surgery ( n = 51; n = 49; >6 months after diagnosis). Improvement in both groups was significant ( P P Conclusions On the basis of this study, early endoscopic surgery is proposed in patients with moderately severe CTS.