Between January 1996 and December 1998, we have performed open carpal tunnel release through a small vertical skin incision on 26 hands in 25 patients. The skin incisions were limited to the proximal palm and were not extended to the wrist flexion crease. Preoperative paresthesia was relieved in all patients at discharge. Five complications occurred : one scar pain, two wound infections, two transient occurrences of palmar swelling. Since endoscopic carpal tunnel release has been introduced by Okutsu et al., open vs endoscopic methods have been compared, and their advantages and disadvantages have been discussed in the literature. Our technique of open carpal tunnel release is useful because of its simplicity, the lower cost of instrumentation and there being no extension of a vertical scar causing contracture of the wrist flexion crease.
