S38. Boston questionnaire and neurophysiological findings in carpal tunnel syndrome in Sri Lanka

Abstract

Although the common clinical presentation of carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS) is the presence of numbness or pain in the hand, many attempts have been made to develop a score based on clinical findings. Boston Carpal Tunnel Syndrome Questionnaire (BCTQ) is a standardised, patient-based outcome measure of symptom severity and functional status. It has been widely used in different populations. The objective of this study was to find out BCTQ findings among Sri Lankan patients suspected with CTS and correlate the findings with neurophysiological parameters. In a group of 147 patients suspected of carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS) based on the presence of numbness or pain in the hand, BCTQ was administered as an interview-based questionnaire format and the nerve conduction tests were performed on the median and ulnar nerves using a Natus EMG machine at the Neurophysiological Unit of the Teaching Hospital, Peradeniya, Sri Lanka. Neurophysiological grading was done according to the scale described by Bland in 2000. Mean age was 49.4 ± 11.9 years. BCTQ symptom and functional scores showed no correlation with the severity of CTS grading. In BCTQ, questions on numbness (r = 0.3, P < 0.001), numbness at night (r = 0.3, P < 0.05) and numbness causing waking up (r = 0.2, P < 0.05) were significantly correlated with the severity of CTS grading. Mean symptom and functional scores were comparable with a previous Indian study which showed a lower score than that was reported for the western CTS patients. In 19.7% of patients neurophysiological findings were normal. Neurophysiological severity in CTS could be predicted by the scores related to numbness in BCTQ.