RESUMO
Carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS) is the most common compressive neuropathy in the human body. Its symptoms result from compression of the median nerve in the carpus. The treatment can be conservative, with medications and/or infiltrations that alleviate the symptoms, or surgical, which is more effective, with decompression of the median nerve by surgical section of the flexor retinaculum of the carpus. The anesthetic technique varies according to the anesthesia method: sedation, venous locoregional anesthesia and, more recently, wide-awake local anesthesia no tourniquet (WALANT), which can be performed by the surgeons themselves. The WALANT technique uses local anesthesia with a vasoconstrictor, and does not require the use of a tourniquet on the upper limb nor sedation. The median nerve block in ultrasound-guided WALANT provides better accuracy to the technique, with greater patient safety; in the present article, its use in the performance of carpal tunnel decompression is described, and the literature is reviewed.
RESUMO
Abstract Carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS) is the most common compressive neuropathy in the human body. Its symptoms result from compression of the median nerve in the carpus. The treatment can be conservative, with medications and/or infiltrations that alleviate the symptoms, or surgical, which is more effective, with decompression of the median nerve by surgical section of the flexor retinaculum of the carpus. The anesthetic technique varies according to the anesthesia method: sedation, venous locoregional anesthesia and, more recently, wide-awake local anesthesia no tourniquet (WALANT), which can be performed by the surgeons themselves. The WALANT technique uses local anesthesia with a vasoconstrictor, and does not require the use of a tourniquet on the upper limb nor sedation. The median nerve block in ultrasound-guided WALANT provides better accuracy to the technique, with greater patient safety; in the present article, its use in the performance of carpal tunnel decompression is described, and the literature is reviewed.
Resumo A síndrome do túnel do carpo (STC) é a neuropatía compressiva mais comum do corpo humano. Seus sintomas decorrem da compressão do nervo mediano no carpo. O tratamento pode ser incruento, com medicações e/ou infiltrações que amenizam os sintomas, ou cruento, mais eficaz, com a descompressão do nervo mediano pela seção cirúrgicadoretináculodos flexores do carpo. A técnica anestésica varia de acordo com o serviço de anestesia: sedação, anestesia locorregional venosa e, mais recentemente, a anestesia local com o paciente acordado e sem torniquete (wide-awake local anesthesia no tourniquet, WALANT), que pode ser realizada pelo próprio cirurgião. Por utilizar anestesia local com vasoconstritor, essa técnica dispensa o uso de torniquete no membro superior e a necessidade de sedação. O bloqueio do nervo mediano na WALANT guiada por ultrassonografiaconfere melhor precisão àtécnica,e mais segurança ao paciente, e, neste artigo seu uso na realização da descompressão do túnel do carpo é descrito, e a literatura, revisada.
