title: Management of Stenosing Flexor Tenosynovitis: Maximizing Nonoperative Success without Increasing Morbidity.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Traditional nonoperative management of stenosing tenosynovitis is limited to one corticosteroid injection, followed by surgery in the case of failure. Recently, nonoperative strategies have been extended to include two or three injections despite the absence of large prospective studies supporting this practice.
  
  
  METHODS
  A prospective study was performed of all patients presenting with stenosing tenosynovitis to a single surgeon (R.S.R.) over a 22-year period. Patients with potentially confounding comorbidities were excluded. All digits received one to three injections of triamcinolone acetonide plus local anesthetic into the tendon sheath. Data were analyzed by digit.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Five hundred seventy-one digits (401 patients) were included. Digits that were symptomatic for 3 months or less were more likely to resolve after one injection than those that were symptomatic for more than 3 months (OR, 2.6; 95 percent CI, 1.67 to 4.0; p < 0.01). For the digits that failed to resolve after the first injection, those that were symptomatic for 5 months or less before one injection were more likely to respond to a second injection than those that were symptomatic for more than 5 months (OR, 9.4; 95 percent CI, 3.0 to 29.7; p < 0.01). Eight digits received three injections, after which six (75 percent) achieved remission. There were no instances of tendon/pulley rupture, infection, or soft-tissue atrophy.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Stenosing tenosynovitis is more likely to respond to nonoperative therapy when treated before 3 months. It is safe and effective to administer more than one corticosteroid injection, as second and third doses increase the overall remission rate without increasing morbidity.
  
  
  METHODS
  Therapeutic, IV.
authors.affiliation: New York and White Plains, N.Y. From New York University Langone Medical Center; and White Plains Hospital.
authors.forename: Alyssa R
authors.initials: AR
authors.lastname: Golas
authors.forename: Lauren R
authors.initials: LR
authors.lastname: Marcus
authors.forename: Robert S
authors.initials: RS
authors.lastname: Reiffel
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000779:Anesthetics, Local / Q000008:administration & dosage; D004359:Drug Therapy, Combination; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D005544:Forecasting; D005938:Glucocorticoids / Q000008:administration & dosage; D006801:Humans; D007267:Injections; D008012:Lidocaine / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009017:Morbidity / Q000639:trends; D011183:Postoperative Complications / Q000453:epidemiology*; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012008:Recurrence; D053682:Tendon Entrapment / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000453:epidemiology; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D014222:Triamcinolone Acetonide / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D014481:United States / Q000453:epidemiology
chemical_list: D000779:Anesthetics, Local; D005938:Glucocorticoids; D008012:Lidocaine; D014222:Triamcinolone Acetonide
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