Date: Thu, 1 Dec 1994 05:28:00 GMT From: Robert H Wentworth +1 908 224 3109 Subject: Re: cortisone for CTS To: Multiple recipients of list SOREHAND A while ago, during one of my literature searches, I came across the following abstract. Seems to say that steroid injections are useful in the short term but not the long term. Don't know the relationship between cortisone and the steroid used in the study, but I'm guessing they're similar. Bob Order No.: isi-kp168-187grn Local Steroid Treatment in Idiopathic Carpal Tunnel Syndrome: Short Term and Long Term Efficacy Journal of neurology Zeitschrift fuer Neurologie., V240, 3, 1993, p187-190 Author(s): Girlanda P Dattola R Venuto C et al. Number of References: 16 Journal Subject Category: CLINICAL NEUROLOGY Abstract: A clinical and electrophysiological study evaluated the usefulness of local steroid therapy for carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS). To evaluate the efficacy of local steroid therapy 32 patients (53 nerves) were randomly assigned to one of two groups: one (27 nerves) received 15 mg methylprednisolone acetate injected locally and the other (26 nerves) received the same amount of saline solution. The injections were repeated after a week. Clinical and electrophysiological findings were evaluated, double blind, at regular intervals. A clear-cut efficacy of steroid treatment was found. Only 8% of nerves were not benefitted while a marked early improvement was observed in most of the nerves. In order to appraise the long-term effect of local steroid treatment on CTS, 53 patients (91 nerves) were studied and followed up by means of clinical and electrophysiological examinations performed every 2 months for 2 years. The benefit of steroid treatment was transient. About 50% of the nerves became worse within 6 months and 90% within 18 months. Only a small percentage (8%) of the nerves remained improved at the 2-years follow-up. The clinical features were not useful in foretelling the duration of the improvement, which appeared to be related to the antidromic SAP latency.