A Meta-Analysis was performed on four previously reported controlled randomized trials that evaluated the outcome of a simple ulnar nerve decompression with an anterior transposition (two submuscular and two subcutaneous). Three previous authors provided their raw data to identify standard mean differences in the effect weighted by study sample size and heterogeneity. Overall, there were no significant differences between simple decompression and anterior transposition in terms of clinical scores. Nor were there any significant heterogeneity across these studies. Two of the four study groups provided postoperative motor nerve conduction velocities which also showed no significant difference between procedures.
The authors conclude that since ulnar nerve transposition was more invasive than simple ulnar nerve decompression, the results of the meta-analysis support the use of simple nerve decompression in patients with no prior traumatic injury or surgical procedures. This study is advancement over previous meta-analysis of nonrandomized studies but has its inherent limitations. Clearly, future prospective randomized studies are still required.
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