Ischemia-reperfusion injury as a common etiology of idiopathic carpal tunnel syndrome: Biochemical and immunohistochemical evidence

Abstract

Carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS) is a frequent source of pain, impairment, and disability. Decompression of the carpal canal is currently the most common operation currently performed by hand surgeons and has attained almost epidemic proportions [17]. There are approximately 460,000 carpal tunnel releases (CTR) performed annually in the USA at a medical cost in excess of the two billion dollars annually [39]. Medical costs, lost wages, and lost industrial performance are staggering. © 2007 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg.