Trigger fingers in children

Twelve children with triggering of 17 digits other than the thumb were seen in our department during an 8-year period. There were 8 children with sing le-finger involvement; the remaining patients had more than 1 triggering fi nger. Seven fingers in 5 children were not treated surgically; 1 of these p atients had residual triggering in ail 3 involved fingers. Ten fingers in 7 children were treated surgically. In contrast to the operative findings in children with triggering thumbs, no nodules were found in these cases. The surgical procedure necessary to relieve the triggering was often more exte nsive than an incision of the A-1 pulley alone and required separation of t he inserting slips of the flexor digitorum superficialis tendon and release of the proximal A-2 pulley. (J Hand Surg 1999;24A:17 62-1165. Copyright (C ) 1999 by the American Society for Surgery of the Hand.)