Peer-reviewed research
Sensitivity and Specificity of Examination Maneuvers for Carpal Tunnel Syndrome: A Meta-Analysis
Yagiz Ozdag and Louis C. Grandizio, Cureus, 2023 · DOI 10.7759/cureus.42383
Read the originalRead on October 16, 2026
- What it is
- A 2023 meta-analysis of 67 articles covering 8,924 hands that pooled the accuracy of bedside examination maneuvers for carpal tunnel syndrome, including Phalen's test and Tinel's sign.
- How much weight it carries
- Peer-reviewed open-access meta-analysis. The included studies vary widely in design and threshold, so the pooled medians are a guide to accuracy, not a precise value. It does not test the maneuvers against each other in one population.
Facts taken from this source
- The 2023 meta-analysis concluded that, without an accepted gold standard, a combination of exams and history should guide the diagnosis of carpal tunnel syndrome.
“In the absence of a uniformly accepted diagnostic gold standard, a combination of exams, along with pertinent patient history, should guide the diagnosis of CTS.” (Results and Discussion)
- In a 2023 meta-analysis of examination maneuvers for carpal tunnel syndrome, Phalen's test had the greatest median sensitivity, 0.70.
“Phalen's test demonstrated the greatest median Sn (0.70, (Q1, Q3): (0.51, 0.85))” (Results)