Sympathetic Skin Response and Boston Questionnaire in Carpal Tunnel Syndrome

We aimed to determine relations between the sudomotor efferent nerve fiber function and Boston questionnaire in idiopathic carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS). Median-nerve sympathetic skin responses (SSRs) evoked by wrist stimulation were recorded in 108 CTS patients and compared with those in 88 healthy volunteers. The Boston questionnaire form (BQF) was applied to patients. All patients and healthy individuals were questioned about the autonomic symptoms in the hand (red or purple coloration, excessive sweating, and feeling cold). The average SSR latencies of the patients with CTS were significantly longer than those in the control group (P < 0.001). Positive significant, while weak, correlation was found between the SSR latency, autonomic symptoms, and total sympathetic system scores. No statistically significant relationship was found between the Boston symptom severity, functional capacity scores, and SSR latency. The latter obtained through wrist stimulation was sensitive to support the sudomotor sympathetic dysfunction in patients with CTS. As we found no relationship between the BQF and SSR, these indices may evaluate different aspects of CTS.