Sonographic Changes in Median Nerve Diameter in Pregnant Women: An Indicator of Carpel Tunnel Syndrome

Abstract

Previous research suggested that physiological changes occurring during pregnancy, such as fluid retention and hormonal fluctuations, might influence the dimensions of peripheral nerves. Understanding these potential differences is important for accurately interpreting sonographic findings and diagnosing conditions related to median nerve compression or entrapment in pregnant women. The objective of this study is to compare pregnant and non-pregnant females’ median nerve cross-sectional area. This case–control analytical study was conducted at the Department of Radiology, Imran Idrees Hospital, Sialkot, for 9 months. A convenient sampling technique was used to collect the data. The calculated sample size was 155, comprising 76 pregnant and 79 non-pregnant females. Inclusion criteria: For cases: symptomatic and asymptomatic pregnant women in their third trimester aged between 18 and 45 years. For controls: non-pregnant women within the same age group without any symptoms of CTS were taken as the control group. One hundred and 55 females were included. Pregnant females had a larger median nerve in the right hand (13.13 mm²) compared to non-pregnant females (11.75 mm²), with a significant difference (P = 0.000). Similarly, pregnant females also had a larger median nerve in the left hand (12.83 mm²) compared to non-pregnant females (11.72 mm²), with a significant difference (P = 0.000). There was no significant difference in echogenicity between pregnant and non-pregnant females. The results suggest significant differences in mean measurements between pregnant and non-pregnant groups for both right- and left-hand median nerve cross-sectional areas, with a larger diameter in pregnant females than non-pregnant females.