Dataset Information

Anterior Subcutaneous versus Submuscular Transposition of the Ulnar Nerve for Cubital Tunnel Syndrome: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

ABSTRACT:

Objective

To pool reliable evidences for the optimum anterior transposition technique in the treatment of cubital tunnel syndrome by comparing the clinical efficacy of subcutaneous and submuscular anterior ulnar nerve transposition.

Methods

A comprehensive search was conducted in PubMed MEDLINE, Cochrane Library, EMBASE, Web of Science, OVID AMED, EBSCO and potentially relevant surgical archives. Risk of bias of each included studies was evaluated according to Cochrane Handbook for Systematic Reviews of Interventions. The risk ratio (RR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) were calculated for the clinical improvement in function compared to baseline. Heterogeneity was assessed across studies, and subgroup analysis was also performed based on the study type and follow-up duration.

Results

Three studies with a total of 352 participants were identified, and the clinically relevant improvement was used as the primary outcomes. Our meta-analysis revealed that no significant difference was observed between two comparison groups in terms of postoperative clinical improvement in those studies (RR 1.04, 95% CI 0.86 to 1.25, P = 0.72). Meanwhile, subgroup analyses by study type and follow-up duration revealed the consistent results with the overall estimate. Additionally, the pre- and postoperative motor nerve conduction velocities were reported in two studies with a total of 326 patients, but we could not perform a meta-analysis because of the lack of concrete numerical value in one study. The quality of evidence for clinical improvement was 'low' or 'moderate' on the basis of GRADE approach.

Conclusions

Based on small numbers of studies with relatively poor methodological quality, the limited evidence is insufficient to identify the optimum anterior transposition technique in the treatment of cubital tunnel syndrome. The results of the present study suggest that anterior subcutaneous and submuscular transposition might be equally effective in patients with ulnar neuropathy at the elbow. Therefore, more high-quality randomized controlled trials with standardized clinical improvement metrics are required to further clarify this topic and to provide reproducible pre- and postoperative objective outcomes.

SUBMITTER: Liu CH

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4482721 | biostudies-literature | 2015

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

ACCESS DATA

Publications

Anterior Subcutaneous versus Submuscular Transposition of the Ulnar Nerve for Cubital Tunnel Syndrome: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

Liu Chun-Hua CH Chen Chang-Xian CX Xu Jie J Wang Han-Long HL Ke Xiao-Bin XB Zhuang Zhi-Yong ZY Lai Zhan-Long ZL Wu Zhi-Qiang ZQ Lin Qin Q

PloS one 20150626 6

<h4>Objective</h4>To pool reliable evidences for the optimum anterior transposition technique in the treatment of cubital tunnel syndrome by comparing the clinical efficacy of subcutaneous and submuscular anterior ulnar nerve transposition.<h4>Methods</h4>A comprehensive search was conducted in PubMed MEDLINE, Cochrane Library, EMBASE, Web of Science, OVID AMED, EBSCO and potentially relevant surgical archives. Risk of bias of each included studies was evaluated according to Cochrane Handbook fo ...[more]

PMID: 26114865

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Project description:Cubital tunnel syndrome (CuTS) is the 2nd most common compressive neuropathy. To improve both diagnosis and the selection of patients for surgery, there is a pressing need to develop a reliable and objective test of ulnar nerve 'health'. Diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) characterises tissue microstructure and may identify differences in the normal ulnar from those affected by CuTS. The aim of this study was to compare the DTI metrics from the ulnar nerves of healthy (asymptomatic) adults and patients with CuTS awaiting surgery. DTI was acquired at 3.0 T using single-shot echo-planar imaging (55 axial slices, 3 mm thick, 1.5 mm2 in-plane) with 30 diffusion sensitising gradient directions, a b-value of 800 s/mm2 and 4 signal averages. The sequence was repeated with the phase-encoding direction reversed. Data were combined and corrected using the FMRIB Software Library (FSL) and reconstructed using generalized q-sampling imaging in DSI Studio. Throughout the length of the ulnar nerve, the fractional anisotropy (FA), quantitative anisotropy (QA), mean diffusivity (MD), axial diffusivity (AD) and radial diffusivity (RD) were extracted, then compared using mixed-effects linear regression. Thirteen healthy controls (8 males, 5 females) and 8 patients with CuTS (6 males, 2 females) completed the study. Throughout the length of the ulnar nerve, diffusion was more isotropic in patients with CuTS. Overall, patients with CuTS had a 6% lower FA than controls, with the largest difference observed proximal to the cubital tunnel (mean difference 0.087 [95% CI 0.035, 0.141]). Patients with CuTS also had a higher RD than controls, with the largest disparity observed within the forearm (mean difference 0.252 × 10-4 mm2/s [95% CI 0.085 × 10-4, 0.419 × 10-4]). There were no significant differences between patients and controls in QA, MD or AD. Throughout the length of the ulnar nerve, the fractional anisotropy and radial diffusivity in patients with CuTS are different to healthy controls. These findings suggest that DTI may provide an objective assessment of the ulnar nerve and potentially, improve the management of CuTS.

Dataset Information

Anterior Subcutaneous versus Submuscular Transposition of the Ulnar Nerve for Cubital Tunnel Syndrome: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

Objective

Methods

Results

Conclusions

Publications

Anterior Subcutaneous versus Submuscular Transposition of the Ulnar Nerve for Cubital Tunnel Syndrome: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

Similar Datasets

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