INJECTION THERAPY FOR MANAGEMENT OF STENOSING TENOSYNOVITIS (DE-QUERVAINS-DISEASE) OF THE WRIST

Stenosing tenosynovitis of the First dorsal compartment of the wrist ( de Quervain's disease) is a common cause of radial wrist and hand pain and disability. Nonoperative management of the disease has been thoug ht to provide only temporary relief of pain and swelling, while surgic al intervention has been viewed as a more definitive treatment. This r etrospective study examines the results of 58 patients who presented w ith de Quervain's disease from January 1993 through December 1995 and were initially treated with a combination steroid/lidocaine injection. After 1 to 3 years of follow-up, 35 patients had complete relief of s ymptoms with a single injection, 14 had relief of symptoms with two in jections, 2 are still under observation, and 7 patients had to undergo operative management. These results indicate that in most patients wi th de Quervain's disease, treatment with a steroid/lidocaine injection can provide complete relief of symptoms.