Passive Release of Pulley with Needle for Trigger Finger / 대한정형외과학회잡지

ABSTRACT

The purpose of this study was to assess the results of passive release of the pulley with needle under local anesthesia performed at the out patient department. There were 68 fingers of 54 patients. Fifteen patients(27.8 %) were male and 39 patients(72.2 %) were female. Involved fingers were 28 thumbs(41.2 %), 7(10.3 %) index fingers, 14(20.6 %) middle fingers, and 19(27.9 %) ring fingers. Ages were varied-between 41 years and 61 years old. Rheumatoid fingers were 12(17.6 %). The others had no underlying disease. An 18 gauge needle was introduced distal to the palpable nodule. The pulley was released passively when the PIP joint was extended. The follow-up period was 4.5 years on average(range; 1-8 years). At final follow-up local recurrence was noted in 1-2 weeks in 7 cases(10.3 %), which was due to technical fault in early trial cases. The patients complained of pain for a few days and mild tenderness for less than 2 weeks. In three cases adhesion occurred, which was resolved in a week by maniqulation. There was no difference between rheumatoid arthritis and the other underlying diseases as far as rate of recurrence was concerned. From these results it would be suggested that the passive release of pulley with needle is an effective method for the treatment of adult trigger finger.