A prognostic model for the patient-reported outcome of surgical treatment of carpal tunnel syndrome.

Introduction: Many prognostic factors have been studied in carpal tunnel decompression, but most studies consider only a subset of variables.

Methods: Three thousand three hundred thirty-two operations were used to develop prognostic models, and 885 operations were used for validation. Outcome recorded on a Likert scale was dichotomized into success or failure.

Prospective analysis of the accuracy of diagnosis of carpal tunnel syndrome using a web-based questionnaire.

Objective: To confirm the accuracy of a diagnostic questionnaire for carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS) when presented via a public website rather than on paper.

Design: Prospective comparison of the probability of CTS as assessed by the web-based questionnaire at http://www.carpal-tunnel.

Ultrasound imaging of the median nerve as a prognostic factor for carpal tunnel decompression.

Introduction: The diagnostic value of ultrasound imaging in carpal tunnel syndrome is established, but reports on its prognostic value have been contradictory.

Methods: This investigation was an observational study of subjective surgical results, evaluated by symptom severity and functional status scales, and an ordinal scale for overall outcome, for 145 carpal tunnel decompressions in relation to preoperative measurement of median nerve cross-sectional area.

Results: The surgical success rate was 86%.

Questionnaire tools for the diagnosis of carpal tunnel syndrome from the patient history.

Introduction: There remains no "gold standard" for the diagnosis of carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS). Clinical diagnosis is often held to be paramount but depends on the skills of the individual practitioner. We describe two mathematical approaches to the analysis of a history obtained by questionnaire.

Clinical surveillance of carpal tunnel syndrome in two areas of the United Kingdom, 1991-2001.

Objective: To study the demographic characteristics of patients with carpal tunnel syndrome and changes in incidence over time.

Methods: Prospective collection of neurophysiological and clinical data on all patients presenting to the subregional department of clinical neurophysiology in Canterbury, UK, from 1992 to 2001 and to the electromyography clinic in St Luke's Hospital, Huddersfield, UK, from 1991 to 1993.

Results: 6245 new cases of neurophysiologically confirmed carpal tunnel syndrome were identified in Canterbury and 590 in Huddersfield.

A comparison of logistic regression to decision tree induction in the diagnosis of carpal tunnel syndrome.

This paper aims to compare and contrast two types of model (logistic regression and decision tree induction) for the diagnosis of carpal tunnel syndrome using four ordered classification categories. Initially, we present the classification performance results based on more than two covariates (multivariate case). Our results suggest that there is no significant difference between the two methods.

CTSS: an interactive microcomputer program for the clinical screening of carpal tunnel syndrome. II. Statistical and computational aspects.

Details of the development and testing of a microcomputer-based statistical decision aid for screening carpal tunnel syndrome are given. The clinical and operational details have been reported in (14).

The relationship between impairment and disability in arthritis: an application of the theory of generalized linear models to the ICIDH.

We investigated the relationship between impairment, as represented by limitation in range of movement and pain in the knee joint, and disability as measured by a series of activities of daily living in 123 patients with either rheumatoid arthritis or osteoarthrosis. A log-linear modelling technique found there was a positive association between functional limitation, as measured by reduction in angle of flexion, and disability. However, there was only a marginal relationship between pain in the knee joint and disability, and no association between pain and range of movement, which suggests that conventional beliefs that pain is a key factor in assessing health outcomes may need to be reassessed.

A comparison of normal limits arising in nerve conduction studies.

A detailed study has been carried out on the influence of various factors, including sex of the patient and side examined, on normal values in peripheral nerve conduction studied. Patients were selected from three clinics, thereby enabling comparisons not only to be made within clinics but also between clinics.