[Incidence of biopsy-detectable amyloid deposits in the retinaculum flexorum and in the tenosynovial tissue in carpal tunnel syndrome].

Histological examination of surgical specimens from 98 patients with carpal tunnel syndrome revealed amyloid deposits in 12% of the cases. Amyloid was located in the flexor retinaculum and to the same extent in the tenosynovium. Serial sections of the material containing amyloid deposits demonstrated that examination of only one level would detect solely 90% of the amyloid-positive cases. In one single case amyloid deposits were considered extensive enough to cause compression of the median nerve and thus could have played a role in the pathogenesis of the carpal tunnel syndrome. In 8 of the 12 cases the patients' histories proved no correlation to preexisting diseases. In our opinion, an individual disposition may promote amyloid deposits as a response to local and chronic irritation. It is noteworthy that the mean age in the amyloid-positive group (70 years) is significantly higher than in the amyloid-negative cases (55 years).