CARPAL-TUNNEL SYNDROME IN CHILDHOOD - STUDY OF 6 CASES

Six children, 4 girls and two boys, aged 5-14 years, with carpal tunne l syndrome (CTS) are reported. Median nerve entrapment had different a etiologies in each case. One patient developed unilateral CTS symptoms after intensive basketball training. He improved upon terminating thi s sporting activity. In 3 patients bilateral CTS was associated with S chwartz-Jampel syndrome, trigger finger and mucopolysaccharidosis I(MP S IS = Scheie syndrome), respectively. The latter subject, a boy aged 11 years who had severe bilateral muscle thenar weakness and atrophy, made a good recovery after surgery. Two cases with bilateral CTS had a utosomal dominant disease. One of them showed familial CTS with thicke ning of the transverse carpal ligament. The other child (5 years old) presented early bilateral CTS as first manifestation of hereditary neu ropathy with liability to pressure palsies (HNPP). His relatives were asymptomatic, but they showed electrophysiological and nerve biopsy ch anges consistent with HNPP. Nerve conduction studies (NCS) are diagnos tic in paediatric CTS. Moreover, NCS is an objective method to evaluat e the evolution of the nerve lesions after surgery. NCS must be perfor med in nerves of the propositus other than the median, as well as in f irst degree symptomatic and asymptomatic relatives in order to identif y possible familial neuropathies. (C) 1998 Elsevier Science Ireland Lt d. All rights reserved.