How about a carpal tunnel surgery that can be as short as 4 minutes and requires no stitching or presence of an anesthesiologist? The people behind an interesting new device for minimally invasive CTR think the have such a technology. Developed by Dr. Bruce McCormack, a San Francisco neurosurgeon, the procedure takes advantage of the fact that you don’t have to see the nerve to know where it is. According to Dr. McCormack, who gave Medgadget a rare interview, the procedure has already been performed more than 150 times, in 4 states since its launch in November. And more centers are being lined up.
So in a nutshell, the procedure is performed through 2 small skin incisions that are placed distal and proximal to the transverse carpal ligament, under a local anesthetic. The Manos cannula is inserted under the ligament, and hooked up to a standard nerve stimulator. The characteristic movement of thenar muscles from a stimulation of a motor branch of median nerve tells the surgeon where the nerve bundle is located. Following that, the ligament can be released, when a previously blunt cannula is converted into a cutting device.
An innovation in carpal tunnel surgery, the MANOS™ Carpal Tunnel Release system gives surgeons the option to release the transverse carpal ligament (TCL) through surgical access measuring as little as 2.1mm. Through this small access to the carpal tunnel, the surgeon releases the TCL with the MANOS™ cutting surface. The MANOS™ cutting surface is exposed only after the surgeon first safely positions the device in the carpal tunnel. While positioning the device, MANOS™ is completely blunt and compatible with nerve stimulation guidance. The entire procedure is performed in about ten minutes. After the procedure, two small band-aids are used to cover the surgical access points. MANOS™ is designed to minimize surgical trauma and reduce patient recovery times. Because surgical access is so small, stitches are not normally required and scarring is minimized or eliminated. MANOS™ patients typically recover quickly, with some patients returning to work as early as the same week of surgery. Postoperative care is limited and generally does not include splinting or physical therapy.
Product page: MANOS™ Carpal Tunnel Release System…
