The Journal of hand surgery, European volume
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J Hand Surg Eur Vol · Oct 2002
Randomized Controlled Trial Clinical TrialTopical anaesthesia to reduce pain associated with carpal tunnel surgery.
This randomized, double-blinded study assessed the effectiveness of a topical anaesthetic, eutectic mixture of local anaesthetics (EMLA), in reducing pain associated with carpal tunnel release performed under local anaesthetic. Fifty-six patients undergoing carpal tunnel release under local anaesthetic were randomized into either EMLA (n = 29) or placebo (n = 27) groups. ⋯ Pain scores were significantly less for needle insertion (P = 0.001) and injection of anaesthetic (P = 0.0005). Scores related to surgery were also lower in the EMLA group, but this did not reach statistical significance.