Missed childhood-onset carpal tunnel syndrome diagnosed as chronic pain: case report.

Abstract

We report the case of a 15-year-old girl with a red, swollen, and painful right hand. She first developed symptoms when she was 7 years old. Numerous physicians evaluated her at various institutions but were able to classify her only with chronic pain syndrome. She continued with regular occupational therapy and had to use special aids to compensate throughout school. After 8 years of treatment with no improvement, she presented to our office, where we diagnosed carpal tunnel syndrome. Intraoperative findings revealed a large proximal muscle belly of the index lumbrical, a thickened transverse carpal ligament, and marked compression of the median nerve. Two weeks after the surgery, her symptoms cleared; at 5 months, she remained symptom free.