Light at the end of the carpal tunnel

The conventional surgical procedure for alleviating the severe pain and disability associated with carpal tunnel syndrome requires an incision into the sensitive palm. Associate Professor of Plastic Surgery J. Grant Thomson, M.D., is one of the few surgeons using and training surgical residents in an alternative procedure that does not require surgery on the palm. This system utilizes one incision at the wrist into which an endoscope is introduced to release the carpal tunnel. “It’s much less painful and it avoids a scar on the palm,” Thomson, director of the Yale Hand and Comprehensive Microsurgery Center, said. “People can use their hands almost immediately, and they return to work much quicker.”