Local Corticosteroid Injection Versus Open Surgical Release in De Quervain Tenosynovitis: A Single-Center Study

Overview

This quasi-experimental study compared pain outcomes following local corticosteroid injection (CSI) versus open surgical release in 100 patients with clinically confirmed De Quervain tenosynovitis unresponsive to conservative management. Patients were allocated to treatment based on clinician judgment and patient preference. Pain was assessed using the Visual Analog Scale (VAS) at baseline, one month, and six months post-intervention. The study was conducted at a single tertiary care centre in Rawalpindi, Pakistan between March 2023 and April 2025.

De Quervain tenosynovitis is a stenosing tendinopathy of the first dorsal extensor compartment of the wrist, causing radial-sided wrist pain. One hundred patients were enrolled and allocated to either corticosteroid injection (CSI; n=49) or open surgical release (n=51). The CSI protocol consisted of triamcinolone acetonide (40mg/mL, 1mL) combined with 1% lidocaine (1mL) injected into the first dorsal compartment under aseptic conditions. Surgical release involved longitudinal decompression of the fibro-osseous sheath overlying the APL and EPB tendons. The primary outcome was VAS pain score at baseline, one month, and six months. Statistical analysis included independent t-tests and linear mixed-effects modeling.

Conditions