Correlation of electrodiagnostic findings with subjective symptoms in carpal tunnel syndrome

The records of 138 patients (222 hands) who had been evaluated by preoperat ive nerve conduction study (NCS) and consecutive self-administered question naires were analyzed to determine diagnostic relations in carpal tunnel syn drome, Hands were categorized into six grades (extreme, severe, moderate, m ild, minimal, and negative) according to the three modalities: the NCS data of the median sensory nerve, Symptom Severity Scale score, and Functional Status Scale score. The authors evaluated the correlation, independence, ho mogeneity, and association among parameters, and found the following: (1) t he NCS data correlated more significantly (p < 0.05) and was associated mor e linearly with Symptom Severity Scale score than the Functional Status Sca le score; (2) the choice of modality exerted an influence on grading severi ties, thus grades varied according to the modalities; and (3) the distribut ion of patients was not homogenous; there were more extremes in NCS, and mo re severe scores on the Symptom Severity Scale. Patients rated as one homog eneous severity by NCS data may be interpreted into different severities (f rom negative to extreme) by self-administered questionnaires and vice versa .