Pathological study of the synovial tissue of patients who underwent open carpal tunnel release

Carpal Tunnel Syndrome (CTS) results from compression of the median nerve inside the carpal channel. Paget1 described compression of the median nerve in the carpal tunnel after trauma. Marie and Foix2 described the histopathology of carpal tunnel syndrome, correlating it with mechanical compression of the median nerve. Learmonth3 performed the first decompressive surgery. Phalen4 described a test for evaluation of median nerve compression. Semple and Cargil5 compared the results of several types of surgical incisions, concluding that there is no influence in terms of results, excepting with transversal incisions. Sunderland6 described the physiopathology of carpal tunnel syndrome, in which he attributed to the initial lesion an intrafunicular anoxia caused by obstruction of the intraneural venous return, produced by a pressure increase in the carpal tunnel of any nature. Carpal tunnel syndrome occurs more frequently in patients between 40 and 60 years of age, and is more common among ABSTRACT