The treatment strategies of cubital tunnel syndrome

Abstract

Objective To compare the efficacy of two surgical procedures for cubital tunnel syndrome and propose a more rational surgical treatment option.Methods A retrospective review of 77 cases with severe cubital tunnel syndrome treated in our hospital from August 2005 to January 2011 was conducted.They were treated with one of the two methods:neurolysis and subfascial anterior transposition of the ulnar nerve or neurolysis and subcutaneous anterior transposition of the ulnar nerve.42 cases were treated with the former and 35 cases with the latter.Preoperatively the severity of the cases was assessed using GU's classification.During postoperative follow-up the functions were evaluated by the cubital tunnel syndrome evaluation criteria.Results Postoperative follow-up period ranged from 3 months to 6 years,with an average of 2.5 years.The majority of cases were in remission after 3 to 4 months.No further improvement was observed thereafter.According to the cubital tunnel syndrome evaluation criteria,functional recovery was excellent in 42 cases,good in 25 cases,fair in 8 cases and poor in 2 cases.The excellent rate was 54.5％,while the overall satisfactory rate was 87.0％.The results of subfascial anterior transposition cases were significantly better than those of subcutaneous anterior transposition cases (P ＜ 0.05).Conclusion Anterior transposition of the ulnar nerve under a fascial flap is a preferred surgical technique for treatment of cubital tunnel syndrome. Key words: Cubital tunnel syndrome; Treatment outcome; Follow-up studies