title: The locked metacarpophalangeal joint: diagnosis and treatment.
abstract: The locked metacarpophalangeal joint of a finger is an unusual condition frequently confused with a "trigger finger." The causes can be classified into degenerative and spontaneous groups. Ten cases are presented. The cause of locking of one patient in the degenerative group was gouty arthritis, a cause not previously reported in the literature. Although surgery is usually necessary, joint mobility was restored in 30% of the cases by distending the joint capsule with an intraarticular injection of a local anesthetic followed by gentle manipulation. In addition to routine x-ray films, arthrotomography was found to be a useful diagnostic technique in determining the cause of locking.
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D005260:Female; D005384:Finger Joint / Q000601:surgery; D006801:Humans; D007592:Joint Diseases / Q000209:etiology / Q000601:surgery / Q000628:therapy*; D008297:Male; D008349:Manipulation, Orthopedic; D008662:Metacarpophalangeal Joint / Q000601:surgery; D008875:Middle Aged; D014056:Tomography, X-Ray