surgical intervention an ideal treatment of De-Quervain's disease?

ABSTRACT

To evaluate the outcome of surgical treatment of DeQuervain s disease. Prospective study conducted from January 2004 to February 2005. Khyber Teaching Hospital, Peshawar. Clinically diagnosed cases of DeQuervain s disease who failed to respond to conservative treatment i.e. analgesics, splinatge and local steroid injections. The above mentioned patients were operated under local anesthesia and the tendons of extensor pollieis brevis and abductor pollicis longus were released. The patients were followed up for a minimum of four months to assess the clinical outcome of the procedure. There were 23 females and two male patients. Their ages ranged from 35 to 55 years with a mean age of 40 years. The two male patients were exposed to repetitive friction in terms of profession while all female patients were manual workers. Five out of 23 female patients had rheumatoid arthritis. The results of surgery showed that 22 patients had complete resolution of symptoms; in two patients the procedure ended up with failure as symptoms did not resolve and in one patient there was temporary skin paresthesia over the anatomical snuff box. Surgical intervention has promising results in DeQuervain s disease, when medical treatment fails