Complications of Surgical Release of Carpal Tunnel Syndrome: A Systematic Review

A systematic review of the literature was performed to compare complications of endoscopic and open carpal tunnel release. Techniques were further subdivided into traditional open, limited open, singleportal endoscopic, and two-portal endoscopic. This study also compared incidence of complications in each group based on chronological periods of data collection. The study found that endoscopic release has a higher incidence of transient nerve injury. There was also an increased incidence of superficial palmar arch injuries in the endoscopic group in the 1960–1990 time period as compared with the 1991–2000 and 2001–2012 periods. No difference was found in scar complications between open and endoscopic groups. While vascular injuries have decreased over time, the rate of nerve injuries has not changed since the introduction of endoscopic release. This higher incidence of transient nerve injury and lack of increased skin complications should be weighed when deciding between open and endoscopic techniques. (Journal of Surgical Orthopaedic Advances 26(1):18–24, 2017) Key words: carpal tunnel release, complications, endoscopic, open