De Quervain Tenosynovitis

Excerpt

De Quervain tenosynovitis, named after Swiss surgeon Fritz de Quervain, is a condition that involves tendon entrapment affecting the first dorsal compartment of the wrist. With this condition, thickening and myxoid degeneration of the tendon sheaths around the abductor pollicis longus and extensor pollicis brevis develop where the tendons pass in through the fibro-osseous tunnel located along the radial styloid at the distal wrist. Pain is exacerbated by thumb movement and radial and ulnar deviation of the wrist. The condition typically affects women in the late pregnancy or the postpartum period.

The management starts with nonoperative treatment in the form of immobilization and corticosteroid injection in the first dorsal compartment. The majority of the patients benefit from conservative treatment. In patients where nonoperative treatment doesn't provide pain relief, surgical release of the first dorsal compartment is indicated.