# New Hydrodissection Treatment Offers Long-Term Relief for Carpal Tunnel Syndrome

> A recent clinical trial published in October 2026 suggests a 15-minute, steroid-free ultrasound-guided hydrodissection treatment provides lasting relief for carpal tunnel syndrome, potentially preventing surgery.

By PrimaryBrief newsroom · Published 2026-10-25T20:58:48.494902Z
Canonical: https://primarybrief.com/article/new-hydrodissection-treatment-offers-long-term-relief-for-carpal-tunnel-syndrome-c84a6fde

A new clinical trial published in *Radiology* in October 2026 indicates that a 15-minute, steroid-free ultrasound-guided hydrodissection treatment offers long-lasting relief for carpal tunnel syndrome, potentially helping patients avoid surgery [1][5].

This development is significant because carpal tunnel syndrome affects 5% to 10% of the general population, with rising incidence rates [3][4][8]. Traditional steroid injections often provide only temporary relief and carry risks such as localized skin changes, fat thinning, and tendon weakening [1][3][10]. The new minimally invasive procedure could offer a safer, more durable alternative [1][5][8].

## What the Records Show
The study, led by Dr. Anindita Bose from Mahatma Gandhi Medical College and Hospital in Jaipur, India, and co-authored by Dr. Anupama Tandon from University College of Medical Sciences and Guru Teg Bahadur Hospital in Delhi, India, involved a randomized controlled trial of 63 wrists from 39 adult patients [1][3][5][9]. These patients had confirmed carpal tunnel syndrome and had not responded to conventional treatments [3][5][8].

Participants were divided into three groups: one receiving ultrasound-guided hydrodissection with normal saline, another receiving a traditional ultrasound-guided corticosteroid injection alone, and a third receiving hydrodissection with both saline and corticosteroid [4][5][9]. The hydrodissection procedure involves injecting sterile saline around the compressed median nerve in the wrist to free it from surrounding tissues [6][7].

All three treatment groups initially showed improvement [5]. However, at 12 weeks and 6 months (24 weeks) post-treatment, the hydrodissection groups demonstrated sustained clinical and morphological improvements [5][9]. In contrast, the corticosteroid-only group experienced a recurrence of symptoms [5][9]. Specifically, at 24 weeks, 85.7% of wrists treated with saline hydrodissection and 90.5% of those treated with hydrodissection plus corticosteroid achieved a clinically meaningful improvement in symptom severity [5][9]. None in the corticosteroid-only group maintained this level of improvement [5]. Pain scores in the hydrodissection groups significantly decreased and remained low, while returning to baseline by 24 weeks in the corticosteroid-only group [5].

Ultrasound findings supported these clinical results [5]. The median nerve's cross-sectional area reduced by approximately 43-45% following hydrodissection, compared to about 11% after corticosteroid injection alone [5][9]. The study also found that adding corticosteroids to the hydrodissection procedure did not provide any significant extra long-term benefit [5][8]. The procedure itself averaged 15 minutes and was well-tolerated by patients, with no significant immediate or delayed complications observed [5][8]. Only 8% of participants reported minor pain and swelling, which resolved within 3-4 days [5].

## What Changed and for Whom
This research indicates that patients with refractory carpal tunnel syndrome now have a steroid-free, minimally invasive treatment option that offers sustained relief [1][5][9]. This could potentially reduce the need for surgery and avoid the known side effects associated with repeated steroid injections, such as skin changes, fat thinning, and tendon weakening [1][3][10].

## What the Subject Has Said Publicly
Dr. Anupama Tandon, a professor in the Department of Radiodiagnosis and Imaging at University College of Medical Sciences and Guru Teg Bahadur Hospital in Delhi, India, stated, "Overall, the study suggests that ultrasound-guided saline hydrodissection is a safe, minimally invasive treatment that can provide sustained clinical and morphological improvement in patients with refractory carpal tunnel syndrome" [1][3][8][14]. She added, "Thus, hydrodissection merits to be a minimally invasive option for mild to moderate carpal tunnel syndrome and can defer and even alleviate the need for surgery" [1][8].

## What We Could Not Confirm
The verified research does not detail the comparative cost of hydrodissection versus traditional treatments or surgery. The long-term efficacy beyond 24 weeks was not addressed.

## Evidence cited
1. A simple 15-minute treatment could help patients avoid carpal tunnel surgery (www.sciencedaily.com) — https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/10/261020085020.htm
2. National Institutes of Health (NIH) (nih.gov) — https://www.nih.gov/
3. Radiological Society of North America (rsna.org) — https://www.rsna.org/
4. Applied Radiology (appliedradiology.com) — https://appliedradiology.com/
5. Epocrates: Medical Reference & Decision Support for Clinicians (epocrates.com) — https://epocrates.com/
6. Understanding Nerve Hydrodissection: Relief for Peripheral Nerve Issues - Precision Orthopaedic Surgical and Spine Center (precisionorthopaedic.com) — https://precisionorthopaedic.com/nerve-hydrodissection-relief-for-peripheral-nerve-issues/
7. Nerve Hydrodissection at Mercy | Mercy (mercy.com) — https://www.mercy.com/health-care-services/nerve-care/nerve-hydrodissection
8. SciTechDaily (scitechdaily.com) — https://scitechdaily.com/
9. Clinical Pain Advisor (clinicalpainadvisor.com) — https://clinicalpainadvisor.com/
10. Understanding Nerve Hydrodissection: Relief for Peripheral Nerve Issues - Precision Orthopaedic Surgical and Spine Center (apexneurology.com) — https://apexneurology.com/nerve-hydrodissection-relief-for-peripheral-nerve-issues/
11. American Journal of Roentgenology (ajronline.org) — https://ajronline.org/
12. BioTB - Clinical Trial Database (biotb.com) — https://biotb.com/
13. PR Newswire (prnewswire.com) — https://www.prnewswire.com/
14. TR Dizin (trdizin.gov.tr) — https://www.trdizin.gov.tr/
15. 65ymas.com (65ymas.com) — https://65ymas.com/
16. Mahatma Gandhi University of Medical Sciences & Technology (mgumst.org) — https://mgumst.org/
17. Mahatma Gandhi Medical College & Hospital (mgmch.org) — https://www.mgmch.org/