CARPAL TUNNEL SYNDROME IN RHEUMATOID ARTHRITIS: PERFORMANCE ASSESSMENT OF HIGH-RESOLUTION ULTRASOUND AND ELECTROPHYSIOLOGICAL STUDIES AS A DIAGNOSTIC TOOL

Background: Rheumatoid arthritis (RA), a prevalent inflammatory disorder,causes permanent disability due to cartilage and bone deterioration. Carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS) represents a common extra-articular manifestation. RA consequence,frequently associated with inflammation in the joints, tendons, and median nerve. The overlapping symptoms of CTS and RA in the hands can make assessing RA disease activity challenging. RA-associated CTS can involve median nerve ischemia due to vessel compression and impaired axonal transport. Aim:This study aimed to compare high-resolution Ultrasound with electrophysiological studies in patients having RA and CTS. Material and Methods:This cross-sectional study enrolled 60 adult RA patients, diagnosed under the 2010 American College of Rheumatology / European League Against Rheumatism classification criteria, recruited from the National Institute for Neuro-Motor System. Here, we assessed disease activity utilizing the Disease Activity Score in 28 joints (DAS28), which categorizes RA status from remission to high activity. CTS was evaluated using nerve conduction velocity (NCV) studies following the American Association of Neuromuscular and Electrodiagnostic Medicine guidelines, while using musculoskeletal Ultrasound to determine median nerve cross-sectional area .