Saline Procedure Beats Steroids for Carpal Tunnel: Trial — SkimNews
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- Researchers at Indian medical colleges found in a randomized trial of 63 carpal tunnel patients that ultrasound-guided hydrodissection with normal saline provided sustained symptom relief at 12 and 24 weeks, while steroid-only injections led to symptom recurrence after initial improvement
- The study showed the median nerve's cross-sectional area shrank by 43–45% in patients who received hydrodissection, compared with roughly 15% in those who got corticosteroid injections alone — suggesting more effective reduction of swelling around the compressed nerve
- Anupama Tandon, M.D. of University College of Medical Sciences and Guru Teg Bahadur Hospital in Delhi said adding corticosteroids to the hydrodissection fluid produced no statistically significant long-term benefit over saline alone
- The procedure takes about 15 minutes, requires no anesthesia or hospitalization, and allowed patients to return to work within an hour, with no significant complications observed during the six-month follow-up
- The trial tracked patients at 4, 12, and 24 weeks, with the full results published in Radiology, a journal of the Radiological Society of North America
- Tandon and co-author Anindita Bose, M.D. of Mahatma Gandhi Medical College and Hospital in Jaipur have launched a follow-up study comparing different hydrodissection fluids, including saline and dextrose, to test longer-term durability
Why it matters: Carpal tunnel syndrome affects an estimated 5–10% of people in their lifetime, and corticosteroid injections — the standard non-surgical option — typically wear off and carry risks like tendon weakening and skin thinning. If validated in larger trials, a 15-minute saline procedure that needs no anesthesia and delivered sustained relief for six months could redirect many patients away from surgery and repeat steroid shots.
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