Wisconsin Brothers Develop 15 Minute Carpal Tunnel Release

Two brothers, Danzhu and Danqing Guo, both M.D.s, have perfected a novel surgery for carpal tunnel syndrome that is quick, (takes about 15 minutes), is outpatient, and almost pain free. The brothers are part of the Bay Care Clinic-Orthopedic in Marinette, Wisconsin. Marinette is about 50 miles north of Green Bay, Wisconsin and abuts the border with Michigan’s Upper Peninsula.

Peter Lund, of Wausaukee, Wisconsin, who has been confined to a wheel chair for more than three decades, went to the brothers Guo for treatment of the carpal tunnel problems he developed operating his wheel chair. “Another doctor referred me to them (the Guos), ” said Lund who is dependent on his hands to move about in his wheelchair.

The procedure began with a shot in his hand to numb it. The doctors then made two small holes in Lund’s palm. One was a top hole in the center of the palm and the second as a bottom one at the wrist.

Using ultrasound to guide them, the doctors inserted a thin metal tube in the top hole and pushed it through the palm until it came out at the bottom hole. The Guos fed a wire through the tube and looped it around the carpal ligament. Then, using a back and forth motion, the doctors cut through the ligament, releasing the pressure on the median nerve.

“What we do is a new ultra-minimally invasive percutaneous procedure, ” Guo said. “We are able to cut the ligament without actually using a blade.”

Lund had the procedure done to both of his hands. He said that it goes fast and is almost pain-free. “You just feel pressure. You feel it (the tube) go in and you can feel them sawing it back and forth and then all of sudden you just feel a release. It’s like a pop and then it’s done.”

Danzhu Guo said recovery time is just one day in most cases. This compares to patients experiencing traditional carpal tunnel release surgery who require from four to six weeks to recover.