ULTRASONOGRAPHIC EVALUATION OF DE-QUERVAIN-DISEASE

De Quervain disease is a job-related tenosynovitis that affects the sy novial sheath of the tendons of the abductor pollicis longus and exten sor pollicis brevis muscles; it is associated with pain and functional impairment and progresses to cause local fibrosis with blockage or tr iggering of the thumb. High-resolution ultrasonography of the wrist wa s performed in eight patients with de Quervain disease; the examinatio n was performed in axial and coronal scans with a 13 MHz linear transd ucer. The evaluation of normal wrists helped to define the normal sono graphic anatomy of the first extensor compartment; obvious changes of the tendon sheath were noted in all cases of de Quervain disease (thic kening and edema of the synovial sheath and fluid within the sheath). We conclude that ultrasonography is able to confirm the clinical diagn osis of de Quervain disease and may have a role in the follow-up of th is disorder.