Alcohol Consumption as a Predictor of Outcomes in Open Carpal Tunnel Release Surgery: A Systematic Review
AI Summary
Little to no evidence that pre-operative alcohol consumption affects OCTR post-operative outcomes across measured domains (p = 0.60).
Conflicting evidence on post-operative infection: one study reported no association (p = 0.39), another reported a strong association (p < 0.001).
Patients undergoing revision surgery were less likely to consume alcohol (p = 0.025); further research recommended on infection risk and revision outcomes.
ANZ J Surg. 2026 Nov 13. doi: 10.1111/ans.71059. Online ahead of print.
ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: Carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS) is a common peripheral nerve entrapment; open carpal tunnel release (OCTR) surgery is the gold standard surgical technique. Pre-operative alcohol consumption is a known predictive factor of polyneuropathy and post-operative outcomes. The aim is to investigate the influence of alcohol consumption on OCTR surgery outcomes.
METHODS: A systematic review registered with PROSPERO was performed using PRISMA guidelines. Study selection included English language randomised controlled trials, cohort longitudinal studies and case series on adults published within a 10-year period (2015-2025). ROBINS-I was utilised for a risk of bias assessment.
RESULTS: Eight studies were eligible as per the criteria. There is little to no evidence which suggests pre-operative alcohol consumption impacts OCTR post-operative outcomes (p = 0.60); depression (p = 0.46), Boston Carpal Tunnel Questionnaire (BCTQ) (p = 0.16), palmar pain (p = 0.27), wound healing disturbance (p = 0.85), numbness (p = 1.00), pain (p = 0.50), Kelly Score (p = 1.00) and return to work (p = 0.67). There is varying evidence associating pre-operative alcohol consumption with post-operative infection; one study reported little to no evidence (p = 0.39) and another reported very strong evidence (p < 0.001). There is evidence to suggest that patients requiring revision surgery are less likely to consume alcohol (p = 0.025).
CONCLUSION: There is little to no evidence that alcohol consumption impacts outcomes in patients undergoing OCTR surgery. Further studies should investigate the impact of pre-operative alcohol consumption on post-operative infection risk and revision surgery outcomes.
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