STENOSING TENOVAGINITIS OF THE THUMB IN I NFANTS - PERSONAL-EXPERIENCE AND CURRENT CONCEPT REVIEW

Our personal treatment concept for trigger thumb in children is presen ted. The guiding symptoms are fixed flexion deformity, (painful) restr iction of motion (with a click phenomenon) or persistent extension def ormity. Although it is a simple pathology, careful diagnosis is mandat ory to rule out other reasons with the same symptoms as trigger thumb, as some of these will lead to severe aesthetic and functional impairm ent. In 26 patients with persistent symptoms, the A1 ring ligament of the thumb was cut. Free active and passive joint motion was comparable to the opposite side in 92.7 % of patients. In 2 cases a secondary op eration was necessary because of incomplete A1 ring ligament release. If it is diagnosed and operated on early with a careful operative tech nique, nowadays no aesthetic or functional impairment should occur in children because of trigger thumb.