title: Utility of obtaining radiographs in patients with trigger finger.
abstract: We performed a combined retrospective and prospective study on the utility of obtaining radiographs in patients with trigger finger. Ninety-three patients with a total of 110 involved fingers were reviewed. The average age of the patients was 52 years, and 61% had involvement of their dominant hand. There were 54 women and 39 men. Eighty-four percent of the radiographs were reviewed retrospectively, and 16% of the radiographs were reviewed prospectively. There were no abnormal findings in 62% of the radiographs [corrected]. Thirty-one percent had radiographic abnormalities that were not currently clinically significant. Four percent had radiographic findings that correlated with other clinical problems. No radiographic finding changed our management. Patients with stenosing flexor tenosynovitis without a history of injury or inflammatory arthritis do not need routine radiographs.
authors.affiliation: Department of Orthopedic Surgery, Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, Penn Hand Center, Philadelphia, USA.
authors.forename: B M
authors.initials: BM
authors.lastname: Katzman
authors.forename: D R
authors.initials: DR
authors.lastname: Steinberg
authors.forename: D J
authors.initials: DJ
authors.lastname: Bozentka
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Cain
authors.forename: D A
authors.initials: DA
authors.lastname: Caligiuri
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Geller
mesh_terms: D005260:Female; D005385:Fingers / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011379:Prognosis; D011446:Prospective Studies; D011859:Radiography; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D013710:Tendons / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D013717:Tenosynovitis / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*