radial tunnel syndrome: the study in the surgical release of posterior interosseous nerve in imam khomeini and sasan hospitals, 1371-77

between 1371 to 1379, of 10 patients with radial tunnel syndrome, 9 patients were treated by decompression of the posterior interosseous nerve. 8 patients were followed up more than 10 months. one patient improved without surgery. half of the patients suffered from pain and all of them had variable degrees of paralysis in muscles innervated by deep branch of the radial nerve. the syndrome was diagnosed after an average of 26 months after onset of symptoms. 3 patients had associated endocrine disease and 2 patients suffered from another accompanied compression neuropathy. 8 patients performed strenuous, repetitive upper extremity tasks. emg confirmed the diagnosis in all patients. the source of nerve entrapment was identified as the arcade of frohse in 4 patients. malignant soft tissue tumor was responsible for nerve compression in one patient. more than one pathologic site was responsible for nerve entrapment in another 4 patients. of 8 patients with enough follow-up after operation, pain was improved in all, but paralysis was improved in only half of them. according to ritts criteria, results were good in 50% of patients and in 50% of patients results were bad. all bad results were due to persistence of paralysis in affected muscles. one of four patients who had no improvement in paralysis, was satisfied with surgical result because tendon transfer was performed at the time of nerve decompression. it is recommended that all possible sites of nerve compression in the radial tunnel be explored and released.