Carpal tunnel syndrome in children

Abstract

Background: Carpal tunnel syndrome or median neuropathy at the wrist is a rare condition in children. Of the reported patients with carpal tunnel syndrome, mucopolysaccharidoses and the mucolipidoses are the most common causes.

Patients: We report 13 patients between the ages of 2 and 17 years of age with carpal tunnel syndrome.

Results: Mucopolysaccharidoses was the cause in one child. In other children, trauma to the median nerve, malformations of the wrist, brachial plexopathy, obesity, inherited susceptibility to pressure palsies (PMP 22 gene deletion), and family history of median neuropathy at the wrist were identified. All patients had hand pain, numbness, and paresthesias in their hands. The nerve conduction studies showed prolongation of median sensory nerve latency and distal motor latency in median nerve.

Conclusions: Carpal tunnel syndrome occurs in children and a variety of risk factors predispose to its occurrence.

Keywords: carpal tunnel syndrome; children; median neuropathy; risk factors.