TITLE:
The Clinical Value of the Self-Administered Kamath and Stothard’s Questionnaire in the Diagnostics of Carpal Tunnel Syndrome
AUTHORS:
Ferenc Toth, Elizabeth Kiss, Csaba Marafko, Jozsef Nemes, Zsolt Hegedus
KEYWORDS:
Carpal Tunnel Syndrome, Nerve Conduction Study, Self-Administered Questionnaire
JOURNAL NAME:
Open Journal of Therapy and Rehabilitation,
Vol.9 No.2,
May
26,
2021
ABSTRACT: The clinician-administered Kamath and Stothard’s
questionnaire is a recommended tool for assessing Carpal Tunnel Syndrome (CTS).
The authors investigated whether the self-administered
Kamath and Stothard’s questionnaire (KSQ) can categorize the severity of CTS
according to the Nerve Conduction Study (NCS) and predict the outcome of Carpal
Tunnel Release (CTR). One hundred and forty-two consecutive patients were enrolled
in this prospective study, who completed the KSQ and were referred for NCS.
Symptom relief after CTR was considered as the reference standard. KSQ’s scores
were compared with the severity of CTS confirmed by NCS and the effectiveness
of the surgery, Sensitivity and Positive Predictive Value (PPV) of the KSQ was
calculated. The sensitivity of KSQ in each NCS severity category (mild, moderate, and severe
CTS) was low (11.9% - 50.0%), however, the sensitivity and PPV of KSQ in the
moderate + severe CTS category was 88.9% and 95.5%. The KSQ score of 5 or
greater was found to be correlated with a successful CTR (sensitivity 92.8%,
PPV of 90.2%). The study revealed that the KSQ with a score of 5 or greater is
able to distinguish the mild conditions from moderate and severe ones. The
KSQ’s score of 5 or greater also can predict the successful outcome of CTR. The authors
believe that in addition to reducing the duration and cost of diagnostics, the
KSQ can also reduce patient appointments and clinic time. Application of the
KSQ may be of paramount importance in the current Covid pandemic era.