Disposable Endoscopic System Assists Carpal Tunnel Release

A novel platform enables endoscopic carpal tunnel release (ECTR) without the need to use traditional reusable endoscopes and cameras.

The Trice Medical (Trice; Malvern, PA, USA) Seg-WAY ECTR-d kit is a fully disposable system designed to properly position the surgical incision in the Ulnar safe zone under local anesthetic. The tray and instruments are completely sterile and disposable, and are designed to be used with a disposable 2.3 mm camera such as the Trice mi-eye angled camera--an in-office camera that allows surgeons to perform diagnostic imaging on an HD tablet--or a traditional 4.0mm arthroscope, if preferred by the surgeon.

The guides in the Seg-WAY ECTR-d kit are available in multiple diameters to best accommodate the surgeon's preferred arthroscope size. In addition to anatomy specific left and right guides to correctly place the blade, the ECTR-d kit also feature a rasp to visualize transverse fibers before release, and a probe to visualize and locate the ligament’s distal end before release and locate uncut fibers to ensure a complete release. A key advantage is that ECTRs can be performed in regular procedure rooms or even a physician's office under local anesthetic, reducing the complexity, time, and cost of the procedure, as well as the burden on healthcare resources.

“Due to the need to have sterilization capabilities and access to expensive arthroscopy towers, all of the endoscopic procedures to date have been done in the operating rooms of hospitals and ambulatory surgery centers,” said Mark Foster, President and CEO of Trice Medical. “With the backlog of elective procedures created by COVID-19, ORs are about to face a level of demand that we have never seen before. And now, with just a tablet and two sterile boxes, a surgeon can complete the procedure, thereby limiting the burden on precious resources.”

“The endoscopic carpal tunnel release disposal kit has the ability to potentially revolutionize the way endoscopic carpal tunnel release procedures have routinely been performed,” said Charles Leinberry, MD, of Thomas Jefferson University Hospital (Philadelphia, PA, USA). “This is a procedure where usually the OR setup takes longer than the procedure itself. With the current COVID-19 pandemic and the backlog of elective surgical procedures, this procedure could be done in a different OR setting with less use of operating set up and equipment.”

Carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS) an idiopathic neuropathy of the median nerve that runs inside the carpal tunnel. The main symptom is an intermittent numbness of the thumb, index, long and radial half of the ring finger, which usually occurs at night and is relieved by wearing a wrist splint that prevents flexion. Long-standing CTS leads to permanent nerve damage with constant numbness, atrophy of some of the muscles of the thenar eminence, and weakness of palmar abduction; risk factors are primarily genetic, rather than environmental.

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