Wrist surgery is a common method for treating carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS) although few studies have examined patient outcomes or predictive correlates of such procedures. The objectives of this study were to characterize Utah workers who received surgery for CTS in terms of relevant presurgical and outcome variables and to identify presurgical correlates of patient outcomes. Participants were 75 Utah workers\u27 compensation patients who underwent surgery for CTS from 1999-2002 and were at least 6 months postsurgery at time of follow-up. A retrospective cohort design was utilized consisting of a review of presurgical medical records and a postsurgical telephone survey. Presurgical variables included: gender, age, history of depression, and litigation status. Correlational analyses revealed that age and lawyer involvement were consistent significant predictors of poorer outcomes. The importance of conceptualizing CTS surgery patient outcomes from a biopsychosocial perspective is discussed
