Steroid Injection Versus Open Surgery in the Treatment of De Quervain’s Tenosynovitis

De Quervain’s tenosynovitis is one of the most common forms of stenosing tenosynovitis encountered by hand surgeons. This tenosynovitis was first described by Fritz de Quervain (1). De Quervain’s tenosynovitis causes radial wrist pain that increases with activity (2). Steroid injection into the tendon sheath is the primary treatment in uncomplicated cases (3). Although steroid injection is common, complications, such as subcutaneous atrophy, fat necrosis, weakening or rupture of tendons, and depigmentation, have been reported after this treatment regimen (4-7). Surgical release, which provides a precise and permanent solution in most cases, is considered for steroid-refractory patients and for patients whose complaints last over 6 months (8, 9). Since the rate of recurrence and complication is lower after surgical treatment, it has been widely used currently. In the present study, we aimed to evaluate the efficacy of open surgery versus steroid injection in patients with De Quervain’s tenosynovitis.