Endoscopic carpal tunnel release: thirteen years' experience with the Chow technique.

The purpose of this single-center study was to evaluate the results of endoscopic carpal tunnel release (ECTR) by using the dual portal Chow technique in a large series of patients. A total of 2,675 procedures in 1,886 patients were performed during a 13-year period. Follow-up evaluation was performed in 2,402 (90%) cases or 1,698 (90%) patients. The success rate was 95% and the recurrence rate was 0.5%. A total of 106 cases (4.5%) were considered failures or had unsatisfactory results. The overall complication rate was 1.1% but no serious complications occurred in this series. The return-to-work status was followed-up in 1,156 patients; 90% of non-worker's compensation patients and 60% of worker's compensation patients returned to work within 4 weeks. This study suggests that ECTR for carpal tunnel syndrome (CTR) is a reliable procedure with a high success rate. Based on our 13 years of experience, we believe that the technique is safe and iatrogenic complications can be avoided with meticulous surgical technique.