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Carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS), the most common entrapment neuropathy in adulthood, is rare in childhood. The symptoms may differ to those in adults, or may be misinterpreted owing to children's difficulties in expressing themselves. Cases of idiopathic, bilateral CTS under the age of 5 are rare. A 4-year-old girl presented with pain in both hands and difficulty opening them in the morning. Bilateral severe CTS was determined at electroneuromyography (ENMG). Bilateral wrist splints were advised for both hands. Improvement in ENMG was seen at 2 weeks following conservative treatment., (© The Author [2016]. Published by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com.)

Objective: This study aimed to assess palmar cutaneous branch of the median nerve (PCBm) conduction in patients with clinically diagnosed carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS), to compare PCBm conduction with that of the median and ulnar nerves, and to determine the PCBm conduction abnormality rate in patients with CTS., Materials and Methods: The study included 99 hands of 60 patients with clinical CTS and 38 hands of 38 healthy controls. Sensory nerve conduction study (NCS) was performed on the median nerve, ulnar nerve, and PCBm, and onset latency, conduction velocity and amplitude were recorded. Additionally, differences in latency and velocity between the median nerve and PCBm, and the difference in latency between the median and ulnar nerves were calculated., Results: In all, 56% of the patients with CTS had abnormal PCBm conduction. Additionally, in 7 of 8 hands with abnormal sensation--both in the thenar eminence and abnormal sensory distribution along the main branch--NCS of the PCBm was also abnormal., Conclusions: The PCBm is not ideal as a comparator nerve for the neurophysiological diagnosis of CTS. The frequency of PCBm abnormality in CTS patients may be related to the concomitant damage in both of these nerves. Additionally, the present findings may help explain, at least in part, why patients with CTS often exhibit sensory involvement beyond the classical median nerve sensory borders.

Benign joint hypermobility syndrome (BJHS) is defined as the presence of musculoskeletal symptoms in persons with generalized joint laxity in the absence of systemic rheumatologic disease. There is an association between soft tissue rheumatism, entrapment neuropathies, and BJHS. The purpose of the study was to identify the relationship between BJHS and carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS). Ninety patients were included in the prospective controlled study. All selected participants were referred to our electrophysiological laboratory with clinical diagnosis of CTS. Subsequently, subjects were divided into two groups as group I and II. Group I included patients with CTS and group II had patients without CTS based on electrophysiological findings. All subjects were assessed for existing BJHS by using the Brighton 1998 criteria. Fifty-five patients were recruited into group I (CTS) and 35 subjects were in group II. The mean age in group I and II was 49.5+/-10.8 and 40+/-9.9 years, respectively. The subjects in group II were younger than those in group I (p<0.05). The mean Beighton score was 2.04+/-2.7 and 1+/-1.68 in groups I and II, respectively. In patients with CTS, BJHS rate was markedly higher than those in patients without CTS with respect to Brighton 1998 criteria (p<0.0001). There was a positive correlation between CTS and BJHS (r=0.59, p=0.0001). Consequently, we suggested that BJHS could be a predisposing factor for CTS or vice versa.