A complete analysis of the surgical treatment for cubital tunnel syndrome: an umbrella review

Abstract

Background: Numerous original studies have been presented regarding various surgical treatments for cubital tunnel syndrome (CubTS). The results of these analyses regarding the different surgical treatments for CubTS frequently differ and, in some cases, contradict each other, creating confusion. Therefore, our umbrella review aimed to summarize the evidence from meta-analyses and systematic reviews regarding the surgical treatments of CubTS, and along with the new, more detailed outcomes, provide an evidence-based tool for surgeons performing these procedures.

Materials and methods: To perform this umbrella review, a systematic search was conducted for meta-analyses investigating CubTS in PubMed, Scopus, Embase, Web of Science, Google Scholar, Cochrane Library, BIOSIS, and EBSCO medical databases.

Results: Detailed comparison of surgical outcomes, such as clinical improvement, complications, or reoperation rates, of different treatment methods for CubTS was performed. New risk ratios in all categories were established based on all of the primary studies available in the literature.

Discussion: The goal of the present umbrella review was to gather and summarize all data about the surgical treatments for CubTS in the available literature and provide new outcomes and an evidence-based tool for surgeons performing these procedures. Each comparison of the surgical techniques has been discussed, and the present study's results were compared with the outcomes of the previous studies.

Keywords: Cubital tunnel syndrome; cubital tunnel syndrome surgical treatment; elbow neuropathy; elbow pain; surgery; surgical treatment; ulnar nerve; ulnar neuropathy.