Coexistence of ipsilateral ulnar and median nerve entrapment

Abstract

Objective: Carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS) and Cubital tunnel syndrome (CuTS) are the median nerve compressions under the carpal ligament and ulnar nerve at the wrist, the most common peripheral nerve entrapment of the upper extremity. The fatty tissue due to the high body mass index (BMI) differs the severity of the entrapment symptoms. The study aims to evaluate the association between BMI and symptoms of CTS and CuTS by analyzing the patients whose entrapments are at the same extremity and onset at the same time. Method: The patients were divided into two groups according to the neuropathy sit (CTS and CuTS) and four subgroups according to the BMI (Overweight, grade 1 obese, grade 2 obese, and morbidly obese). All patients were followed up with EMG and performance scale before and after surgical treatment. Results: A total of 31 patients were included in the study. The mean BMI of the patients was 29.63 kg/m2. The average BMI of male patients was 29.02 kg/m2, while the average BMI of female patients was 30.3 kg/m2. Conclusion: In contrast to the previous hypotheses that claim the high body mass index increases the severity of CTS but reduces the formation of CuTS, our study revealed that body mass index was not related to the severity of symptoms.