ROLE OF CORTICOSTEROID INJECTIONS IN THE TREATMENT OF DE QUERVAIN'S TENOSYNOVITIS

Introduction: De Quervain's tenosynovitis is a stenosing tenosynovitis of the first dorsal compartment of the wrist, caused by impaired gliding of the abductor pollicis longus and extensor pollicis brevis tendons. Aims and objectives: The basic aim of the study is to find the role of corticosteroid injections in the treatment of De Quervain’s Tenosynovitis. Methodology of the study: This cross sectional study was done in Shalamar hospital Lahore during June 2019 to November 2019. A total of 40 patients were registered in the study. All patients previously had a mean of 6 weeks (range 4-8 weeks) of treatment of the condition with oral and local NSAIDs and had shown no response and were therefore not satisfied with treatment. Results: Out of a total of 40 patients, 24(30%) were men and 26(70%) were women. The age ranged between 20 to 40 years. (Mean age 29.32 Years SD ±6.099). The right hand was affected in 48 (60%) and left in 32 (40%) patients. The mean duration from the onset of symptoms to enrolment for this study was 5.87 weeks (range 4 weeks to 8 weeks SD ±0.527).  Conclusion: It is concluded that one or two local steroid injections in the first dorsal compartment leads to early improvement in patients with de Quervain's tenosynovitis.