title: Percutaneous release of the trigger thumb: is it safe, cheap and effective?
abstract: Percutaneous release of the trigger finger and trigger thumb has recently gained popularity. The aim of this study was to determine the clinical results and safety of percutaneous release in trigger thumbs. Twenty-five thumbs of 21 patients were released percutaneously in the polyclinic under local anaesthesia. Steroid injection was performed following the release procedure using the same needle. The thumb function was evaluated by a patient questionnaire, and functional thumb scores (VAS) were calculated in the preoperative and postoperative periods. At the 1 week follow-up, four patients had signs of discomfort and triggering because of incomplete release. These patients underwent open A1 pulley release. Three superficial tendon lacerations were seen during these open procedures. There were no wound complications or signs of digital nerve or artery injury in any of the patients. The preoperative mean VAS was 26.62 (18-36). This decreased to 2.57 (0-5) at the first postoperative month (P<0.001) and to 2.19 (0-3; P<0.001) at the sixth month. When the VAS scores at the first and sixth months were compared, the difference was statistically significant. We concluded that percutaneous release of trigger thumbs is a cheap, safe and effective procedure with a low rate of complications.
authors.affiliation: Orthopedic and Traumatology Department, Gaziantep University Faculty of Medicine, 27060 Gaziantep, Turkey. ocebesoy@gmail.com
authors.forename: Oguz
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Cebesoy
authors.forename: Gunhan
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Karakurum
authors.forename: Kamil Cagri
authors.initials: KC
authors.lastname: Kose
authors.forename: Enver Taner
authors.initials: ET
authors.lastname: Baltaci
authors.forename: Mustafa
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Isik
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000772:Anesthesia, Local; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007270:Injections, Intra-Articular; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D019060:Minimally Invasive Surgical Procedures / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000379:methods*; D019637:Orthopedic Procedures / Q000379:methods*; D010146:Pain / Q000209:etiology; D059408:Pain Management; D020127:Recovery of Function; D013256:Steroids / Q000008:administration & dosage; D053682:Tendon Entrapment / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000601:surgery*; D052582:Trigger Finger Disorder / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000601:surgery*
chemical_list: D013256:Steroids