Ultrasound-Guided 5% Dextrose Prolotherapy Versus Corticosteroid Injection in Carpal Tunnel Syndrome: A randomized, Controlled Clinical Trial

Abstract

Aim: The main assessment of this study is to analyze the efficiency of ultrasound-guided dextrose prolotherapy against corticosteroid injections for the treatment of carpal tunnel syndrome. Materials & methods: A total of 54 patients with carpal tunnel syndrome were included. Patients who were assigned into the prolotherapy group were injected with 5cc 5% dextrose water under ultrasound guidance. Patients in the corticosteroid group received ultrasound-guided 1 ml triamcinolone 40 mg/ml injection. Results: The inter-group analysis revealed that dextrose prolotherapy has a similar efficacy as corticosteroid for improving pain intensity, functional limitation in daily life, electrophysiologic parameters and ultrasonographic outcomes. No remarkable difference was found between the two treatments until 3 months of follow-up. Conclusion: Dextrose 5% has similar efficacy as triamcinolone for improving pain intensity, functional limitation in daily life, electrophysiologic parameters and ultrasonographic outcomes.

Keywords: :

• carpal tunnel syndrome
• corticosteroids
• injection
• prolotherapy
• ultrasound

Author contributions

Arash B-G and S Moradnia were the main investigator, participated in the design and conducting the study, drafted and edited the manuscript; M Azar and B Forogh participated in the design and conducting the study; S Moradnia and T Ahadi participated in the design of the study and drafted the manuscript; S Chaibakhsh participated in the design of the study and conducted the statistical analysis; M Khodabandeh and B Eftekharsadat participated in the design of the study and edited the manuscript. All authors read and approved the manuscript.

Acknowledgments

The authors would like to thank all the patients who agreed to participate in this study.

Financial & competing interests disclosure

The authors thank the Vice Chancellor of Research of Iran University of Medical Sciences for supporting this study under the research ID 2320. The authors have no other relevant affiliations or financial involvement with any organization or entity with a financial interest in or financial conflict with the subject matter or materials discussed in the manuscript apart from those disclosed.

No writing assistance was utilized in the production of this manuscript.

Ethical conduct of research

This research followed the tenets of the Declaration of Helsinki and the protocol of the study was approved by the regional ethics committee of Iran University of Medical Sciences. Written informed consent was obtained from all patients before enrollment in the study. The process of the treatment was fully explained to the patients, and they were informed that they could withdraw from the study at any time. The trial was registered on the Iranian Registry of Clinical Trial (IRCT20180603039969N1).

Data sharing statement

All of the individual participant data collected during the trial will be shared after de-identification. The data will be shared immediately following publication. No end date. Anyone who wishes to access the data can have access to data. Study protocol, statistical analysis plan, informed consent forms, clinical study report, analytic codes will be available.