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CARPAL TUNNEL SYNDROME   WHAT YOU SHOULD KNOW
MEDICAL HISTORY Patients usually complain of pain, numbness, and tingling that begins in the wrist region and travels out to the fingertips of the thumb, index, long, and ring fingers. The symptoms are often worse in the middle of the night causing waking or in the morning. Driving, fixing one's hair and time at the computer are other problem activities. When severe patients may even lose coordination and drop things.
Pressure applied over the nerve at the wrist will recreate the pain, numbness, and tingling. The doctor will measure strength in the muscles (motor) and feeling ability (sensory) in the skin for specific areas serviced by the median nerve. In more advanced conditions, patients will demonstrate loss of motor and sensory functions. Electrical nerve tests provide actual numbers that tell the story of how well or poorly the nerve is conducting signals in the area of the carpal tunnel and if the muscles have sustained any damage as a result of prolonged nerve pressure. Despite what you may hear, Endoscopic Carpal Tunnel Release (ECTR) is not a new procedure, nor was it developed here in Houston. It was originally developed in 1987 by Dr. James Chow, MD, a highly respected hand surgeon in Illinois. Although some surgeons try to make this procedure seem unique by giving it a special name, it is still just a carpal tunnel release using a fiber-optic camera called an endoscope. The correct (and fully inclusive) procedure code (CPT) used to bill an endoscopic tunnel release is 29848. Our usual and customary fee for this procedure is $924, although most insurance companies and government payors such as Medicare either negotiate or legislate a discount for themselves. Patients should be aware of several small but important differences among the various ways to view the inside of the carpal tunnel with an endoscope while cutting or “releasing” the carpal ligament with a blade. Perhaps the most important difference has to do with safety. In procedures where the surgeon operates the camera and the blade separately through two incisions, it is an unfortunate complication when the median nerve is accidentally cut. The ECTR equipment Dr. Henry uses was developed by Dr. John Agee, MD, a hand surgeon in California. The design affixes the camera on the retractable blade at all times, which allows the surgeon to see exactly where, and what, the blade will cut. The endoscope and blade assembly all work together as a unit inserted through a single 1cm incision, with the blade retracted in the default position, and thus unable to inadvertently cut anything (like a nerve or tendon) until the surgeon chooses to deploy the blade. We believe this is the safest method for ECTR.
RECOVERY After the surgery no splints are used and there are no sutures that will need to be removed. Immediate use of the hand is encouraged for all light activities of daily living. Even forceful or heavy use of the hand is possible immediately, but such early over activity will be painful and is not encouraged. Specific therapy exercises should be done to limit scarring around the nerve. Return to a normal lifestyle is quite rapid. | Cannot connect to database : |
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