Is cubital tunnel obliteration a safe and effective procedure for cubital tunnel syndrome? A case series.

Abstract

Cubital tunnel obliteration aims to eliminate potential drawbacks associated with in situ decompression and anterior transposition of the ulnar nerve for treating cubital tunnel syndrome (CuTS). However, the safety of this technique has not been evaluated further, and no reports have focused specifically on its surgical outcomes. In this study, we evaluated patients who underwent cubital tunnel obliteration for established CuTS at a single institute. We asked: (1) What are the electrophysiological and clinical outcomes of cubital tunnel obliteration? (2) Which demographic and disease-related factors are associated with good electrophysiological outcomes? Forty-three patients (mean age, 62 years) treated for CuTS between 2022 and 2023 were studied. We measured motor nerve conduction velocity (mNCV) and the Disabilities of the Arm, Shoulder, and Hand (DASH) scores four months and two years after surgery, respectively. We defined good electrophysiological outcome as normalization of the mNCV, for which we investigated the odds ratio (OR) with age, sex, body mass index, diabetes, etiology of CuTS (idiopathic vs. secondary), and preoperative mNCV as covariates. The average mNCV improved from 28.9 ± 11.2 to 38.1 ± 15.1 m/s and DASH score from 32.4 ± 18.7 to 11.7 ± 8.6. A good electrophysiological outcome was significantly associated with the absence of diabetes (adjusted OR = 0.04) and idiopathic CuTS (adjusted OR = 18.7), regardless of other factors. Cubital tunnel obliteration seems to be a safe and reliable surgical option for treating CuTS and its short-term outcome was favorable for both idiopathic and secondary CuTS. Level IV (Therapeutic study).