A 15-Year Review of Clinical Practice Patterns in Carpal Tunnel Syndrome Based on Continuous Certification by the American Board of Plastic Surgery.

Background: The American Board of Plastic Surgery has been collecting practice data on carpal tunnel syndrome treatment since 2004 as part of its Continuous Certification Program. These data allow plastic surgeons to compare their surgical experience to national trends and analyze those trends in relation to current evidence-based medicine.

Methods: Data on carpal tunnel syndrome treatment from 2004 to 2014 were compared to those from 2015 to 2020. National practice trends observed in these data were evaluated relative to current literature regarding evidence-based practices.

Results: A total of 11,090 carpal tunnel syndrome cases were included from 2004 to 2020. Electrodiagnostic and imaging studies were performed on most patients despite adding little sensitivity and specificity when physical examination tests are performed and not being considered cost-effective. An open "mini" approach has remained the most common surgical technique in carpal tunnel release for the last 15 years, with growing usage (53 percent versus 59 percent, p < 0.001). Splinting has decreased significantly over the last 15 years, from usage in 39 percent of patients to 28 percent (p < 0.001). Formal postoperative hand therapy has declined from 27 percent of patients to 22 percent (p < 0.001). Despite their low efficacy, 63 percent of patients received one or more perioperative doses of antibiotics.

Conclusions: Analysis of the Continuous Certification Program tracer data from the American Board of Plastic Surgery provides an excellent overview of current practice and its development over the 15 years since its inception. This analysis provides insight into how effectively plastic surgeons have remained aligned with developments in best practices in treating carpal tunnel syndrome.