Abstract
Manente and coll. have recently developed an innovative soft hand brace called Manu for conservative treatment of Carpal Tunnel Syndrome (CTS); a randomised controlled study showed that this hand brace, if worn at night for one month, is highly efficient in relieving symptoms and functional loss in CTS patients. This study aims at evaluating, through Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI), the changes of carpal tunnel in CTS patients and controls wearing Manu, the innovative soft hand brace for CTS. Thirteen subjects (9 with CTS and 4 controls) were enrolled in the study. T1 and STIR sequences were performed using a 0.2 T E‐Scan. Some morphologic parameters (tunnel diameters and area, carpus length and nerve signal intensity) were measured at three different scanning levels. Evaluation was carried out before and after the application of the brace. Remarkable differences were recorded in the measurements performed before and after the application of the brace, particularly in the constant increase of front‐rear diameter and tunnel shape rounding. These data could explain the lighter symptoms after using the brace. The Manu hand brace increased the carpal tunnel front‐rear diameter rounding the tunnel shape, hence the clinical efficacy in CTS.
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