In the carpal tunnel CPR, which age threshold is used as a criterion?

• A. >40 years
• B. >45 years
• C. >50 years
• D. >60 years

Answer: (B)

In this carpal tunnel clinical prediction rule, age over 45 years is used as a criterion because middle age is associated with a higher likelihood of CTS that aligns with objective findings or responds to treatment. Including this age threshold helps sharpen the rule’s ability to distinguish CTS from other conditions and to guide decisions about further testing or management when combined with other symptoms, such as nocturnal median nerve symptoms or positive provocative tests. Validation data showed that using this cut-off improves predictive performance compared with younger thresholds, which is why it’s the chosen criterion.