Background: Nerve entrapment neuropathies are relatively frequent in the upper limb. Significant costs related to resultant disability and treatment, and also simultaneous occurrence of some of these syndromes can result in alteration in the treatment approach. The aim of this study was to evaluate the frequency of these syndromes, the rate of concurrence of carpal tunnel syndrome as the most prevalent syndrome with others, related risk factors, and accordance of clinical and electrophysiological findings.
Methods: In a retrospective study, data of the 170 affected patients to these syndromes operated during a period of 10 years in a referral center were searched using recorded documents. Information about patient's gender, age, occupation and associated co-morbidities, clinical and surgical findings and their accordance to the EMG-NCV findings, and also concurrence of these syndromes were assessed.
Results: Patients' range of age was 10-91 year (mean: 48.09 year) and 74.5% of them were female. In this study carpal tunnel and cubital tunnel syndrome were the most frequent (81.7% and 15.8% respectively). In 23.5% of patients with carpal tunnel syndrome, electrophysiological findings were negative but there was no false positive result. Concurrent carpal tunnel syndrome with other syndromes were found in three cases of cubital tunnel syndrome, two cases of thoracic outlet syndrome and one case of Guyon's canal syndrome.
Conclusion: Constellation of symptoms, physical examination and electrophysiologic-al findings altogether should be considered for correct diagnosis of nerve entrapment syndromes in the upper extremity. Simultaneous entrapment in the other regions of the same nerve or other nerves in the same extremity is a probable condition