With respect to Tinel and Phalen's signs
Martínez-Albaladejo, M.; Nombela-Gómez, M.; Pérez-Flores, D.
Anales de Medicina Interna 12(1): 21-24
1995
ISSN/ISBN: 0212-7199 PMID: 7718712 Document Number: 453413
The increment sensibility of the median nerve's compressed fibres in the carpal tunnel constitute the basis of the most known clinical tests, Phalen's test an Tinel's sign, used for diagnosis of the Carpal Tunnel syndrome. The frequence of these signs found in the literature is very variable, by this reason we realized this work, for determining the correlation between these tests and the clinical features and the electro-diagnosis. In our series (288 hands) the Tinel's sign demonstrate significative correlation with the motor and sensory conduction velocity (p < 0.05), showing significative increase of its frequence when distal motor and sensory latency were upper 4.5 ms. Phalen's test non correlated with any electrical parameters. Nevertheless, 97% of cases with positive Phalen's test were typical clinic forms of Carpal Tunnel syndrome, white 85% of cases with positive Tinel's sign concerned to typical group.