Journal of Aesthetic & Reconstructive Surgery

A Systematic Review of Dexamethasone, Hydrocortisone, and Triamcinolone in the Management of Carpal Tunnel Syndrome

Background: Carpal tunnel syndrome is a common cause of morbidity amongst adults. It is amenable to multiple therapeutic interventions, ranging from splinting to surgical decompression. The decision as to which steroid to use for local injection in carpal tunnel syndrome remains the subject of clinical equipoise. This systematic review provides an up-to-date summary of evidence for steroid injection in carpal tunnel syndrome.

Methods: A comprehensive search of Ovid Medline, Ovid Embase, and the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL) was performed covering from January 1^st 1946 to October 12^th 2020.

Results: Triamcinolone demonstrated efficacy in reducing distal motor latency and pain on VAS. Triamcinolone and dexamethasone demonstrated a significant reduction in distal sensory latency. There was insufficient data available to compare the three steroids to one another.

Conclusion: We demonstrate efficacy of triamcinolone and highlight a lack of evidence to make conclusive statements about dexamethasone and hydrocortisone.

Author(s):

Xi Ming Zhu1,2*, Eyal Ben-David1,2, Peter MacNeal2 and Jamil Moledina2

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