It is important to understand that this study does not necessarily apply to most folks with PN. It appears to be a sample of people that the authors accepted for their nerve decompression surgery. This has been and continues to be very controversial. People have posted in various forums who have had a wide range of outcomes. It may be that Dellon et al have identified a marker to better identify those who who would have a better surgical outcome, but of course, there are a lot of other factors involved.

This finding in no way applies to the general population of PN'ers. So, the "excellent outcome" that is referred to applies to surgical outcome - that is all. Also, I would imagine that the subject pool are those candidates who have already been pre-screened and deemed acceptable for their surgical technique.

Now of course, if you are considering this surgery, then it may be relevant. But even then, I would caution that the picture is usually much more complicated than boiling it down to a clear and definite probability statement. Thus, it would be wise to actually read the entire study and have it reviewed by another doctor or someone who can comment sagely.

rafi