Surgeries for carpal tunnel syndrome – contacts per 1,000 inhabitants
Discussion
A total of 8,300 carpal tunnel syndrome surgeries were performed in Norway in 2025, an increase of 13% compared to 2018. The national rate in 2025 is the same as in 2018. The rates for the health regions have varied within the period but are in 2025 at the same level as in 2018.
There is considerable geographic variation in surgical rates between catchment areas. In the area with the highest rates, approximately three times as many operations are performed per 1,000 inhabitants compared to the area withe the lowest rate. In 2025, the number of operations per 1,000 inhabitants ranged from 0.7 in Diakonhjemmet to 2.2 in Møre and Romsdal.
The Oslo area (Oslo University Hospital, Lovisenberg, and Diakonhjemmet) consistently had the lowest rates throughout the period. Innlandet and Nordland had the highest rates throughout the period.
Women undergo surgery to a greater extent than men. Between 2018 and 2025, the proportion of women remained stable at around 62%.
The article "Neurography in Carpal Tunnel Syndrome (2013) recommends neurography for diagnostic purposed and as part of the basis for evaluating surgery as a treatment option for carpal tunnel syndrome. In 2025, 55% had a neurographic examination during the year prior to surgery. By comparison, only 33% of patients who underwent surgery had received neurography prior to operation in 2018. In 2025, the proportion of operated patients who underwent neurography varied considerably between catchment areas, with the lowest proportion in Fonna (34%) and the highest in UNN and Bergen (65%).
There is partially missing reporting from contracted specialists for the Østfold catchment area in 2023.
The analysis is based on data from the Norwegian Patient Registry (NPR) for specialist healthcare services. The data includes activity in public hospitals, publicly funded private hospitals, and specialists in private practice under public funding contacts.
The sample consists of patients aged 17 years or older registered with a primary or secondary diagnosis of G56.0 in combination with:
- For hospitals - procedure codes ACC51, NDE11, NDE12, NDM19, NDM49, or NDL50
- For contracted specialists - the same procedure codes as for hospitals OR tariff code 140i
The place of treatment is divided into three categories:
- Local public, treated at one of the hospitals in the catchment area
- Other public, treated at a public hospital outside the catchment area
- Private, treated by a private hospital or a private specialist
Neurography includes the procedure codes ACFE05, ACFE15, ACFE39 and/or ACFE40, provided the neurographic examination was carried out 365 days or fewer prior to the operation. There are also patients who had neurography more than 365 days before surgery, but these are not included. For example, in 2024, there were 560 patients (6.7%) who underwent neurography between one and two years before the operation.
In order to compare the catchment areas and between years, the rates have been adjusted for gender and age. The adjustment was done using the direct method with the population in 2023 as the reference population.
In graphs with patient‑aggregated data, the numbers are adjusted to avoid double‑counting patients. The actual number of patients is therefore higher when looking at a single variable for a focus area. For example, patients who have received both private and public treatment during a year are counted only once in total, which means that the number of patients in private treatment will be underreported.
SKDE is solely responsible for the interpretation and presentation of the data provided by NPR. FHI/NPR is not responsible for analyses or interpretations based on the data.