Nerve fibre size in the carpal tunnel syndrome

The syndrome due to compression of the median nerve in the carpal tunnel was first defined by Ramsey Hunt (1911, 1914) and Marie and Foix (1913), although its relationship to the acroparaesthesia syndrome was not appreciated until recently (see Kremer, Gilliatt, Golding, and Wilson, 1953). Marie and Foix (1913) examined the pathological changes in a single case, but no further studies on the histological alterations in this condition have appeared since. Recently, the opportunity presented itself for such an examination in a patient who died from an unrelated disorder. Particular attention has been given to alterations in nerve fibre size, which are of interest in relation to the changes that occur in nerve conduction (Simpson, 1956; Carpendale, 1956; Thomas, 1960).