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An Unusual Cause of Bilateral Carpal Tunnel Syndrome

Edwin J. Green, MD; John H. Dilworth, MD; Peter M. Levitin, MD

JAMA. 1977;237(25):2747-2748.

	Since this article does not have an abstract, we have provided the first 150 words of the full text PDF and any section headings.

THE CARPAL tunnel syndrome is a compression neuropathy of the median nerve caused by its entrapment in the carpal tunnel. The clinical diagnosis is based on the presence of thenar muscle weakness and atrophy and paresthesias in the distribution of the median nerve. The carpal tunnel syndrome was first described in 1854 and has been extensively defined by Phalen over the last two decades.¹ Common causes of carpal tunnel syndrome are rheumatoid arthritis, diabetes mellitus, and trauma; gout is a rare cause.² We report an unusual case of tophaceous gout causing bilateral carpal tunnel syndrome.

See also p 2746.

Report of a Case

A 40-year-old man had a three-year history of gout. His initial attack, in 1972, was characterized by exquisitely painful swelling and redness of both first metatarso-phalangeal joints. He had one or two attacks of acute arthritis per month for the next year, and well-defined nodules . . . [Full Text PDF of this Article]

Author Affiliations
From the Department of Internal Medicine (Drs Green and Levitin), Moses H. Cone Memorial Hospital, Greensboro, NC. Dr Dilworth is in private practice in Greensboro.

Footnotes
Reprint requests to Department of Internal Medicine, Moses H. Cone Memorial Hospital, 1200 N Elm St, Greensboro, NC 27420 (Dr Green).

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