Bilateral carpal tunnel release at one operation: report of 228 patients.

The division of the transverse carpal ligament for relief of carpal tunnel syndrome has been a standard operative procedure since the early 1950s. The surgical technique, however, is controversial, and the literature is rife with individual preferences and biases. This report describes our results in 228 tensor fasciae patients who underwent a bilateral carpal ligament release in one procedure that used a small transverse incision in the wrist crease. When the patients' responses to a questionnaire, records of postoperative visits, and follow-up phone calls were analyzed, 216 patients (94.7%) had a satisfactory outcome. One hundred fifty-five patients were working before surgery, with 88.3% back to work in 6 weeks or less. There were no major complications.