Clinical utility of portable versus traditional electrodiagnostic testing for diagnosing, evaluating, and treating carpal tunnel syndrome

Data indicate that a portable electrodiagnostic device (NC-Stat; Neurometrix, Inc, Cambridge, Mass) provides objective preoperative evidence of the severity of median nerve dysfunction as well as useful objective postoperative data. With traditional electrodiagnostic studies for comparison, we studied the utility of this device as a diagnostic tool, evaluated patient satisfaction with the instrument, and found statistically significant improvement in recorded distal motor latency at 6-month follow-up. Such data can be of great value in treating a patient who does not exhibit subjective symptom improvement. This portable electrodiagnostic device provides a reliable, convenient, and relatively inexpensive way to obtain objective data that can be used in diagnosing, evaluating, and treating carpal tunnel syndrome.