SURGICAL TREATMENT OF CUBITAL TUNNEL SYNDROME (LITERATURE REVIEW)
This review was undertaken in order to provide an updated summary of the current literature of various surgical treatments for cubital tunnel syndrome. METHODS. Studies reporting usage of different surgical treatment of cubital tunnel syndrome were collected through the PubMed, WebofScience databases. The article describes the symptoms, main diagnostics and treatment techniques of the neuropathy of ulnar nerve at the cubital canal level, the indications for operative treatment are listed. The most widely spread operations recommended for this pathology are described: open decompression, endoscopic decompression, minimal incision decompression, subcutaneous transposition, intramuscular transposition, and submuscular transposition, medial epicondylectomy. RESULTS. Our findings indicate varying but comparable levels of success among all surgical techniques reviewed. While some studies directly compared two or more techniques, there was rarely a statistically significant difference between groups. CONCLUSIONS. All methods appear to be effective in the treatment of cubital tunnel syndrome with appropriate indications. In most cases, standard decompression of micro-decompression and endoscopic decompression are enough; transposition remains preferable in cases of gross deformation in the area of the cubital canal and subluxation of the nerve. The choice of surgical treatment is based on multiple factors, and a single surgical approach cannot be applied to all clinical situations.