Fig 1.
Flowchart detailing patient enrollment.
Abbreviations: TCTR, thread carpal tunnel release.
Table 1.
General characteristics of hands.
Fig 2.
Standardized technique to determine entry and exit points.
A: Patients’ upper extremity positioned on an arm board. B: Standardizing methods when marking entry and exit points.
Fig 3.
Ultrasound images of the carpal tunnel visualized during TCTR procedure.
A: Anatomical landmark “duck’s beak”. B: Entry of 18G Tuohy epidural needle. C: Hydrodissection of carpal tunnel. D: Smartwire-01 looped around TCL. Abbreviations: TCL, transverse carpal ligament; MC, metacarpal bone; FDP, flexor digitorum profundus muscle.
Table 2.
General characteristics of threads.
Fig 4.
Post-TCTR time-dependent changes of pain and function of patients in the two threads (primary outcomes).
A: NRS scale. B: BCTQ functional scale. C: BCTQ severity scale.
Table 3.
Early recovery following TCTR: Mean (SD).
Table 4.
Long term recovery following TCTR: Mean (SD).
Fig 5.
Ultrasound images of both threads in same settings.
A, green arrows: Loop & Shear. B, yellow arrows: Smartwire-01.
Fig 6.
Realtime ultrasound images of both threads visualized during TCTR procedure.
A, B: Loop & Shear thread. C, D: Smartwire-01. We could visualize the newly developed thread with higher acuity in ultrasonographic imaging compared to the commercial thread.