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Correlation between Hypervascularization of the First Annular Pulley on Color Doppler Imaging of Trigger Finger and Patients’ Backgrounds
Author(s) -
Sato Junko,
Ishii Yoshinori,
Noguchi Hideo
Publication year - 2019
Publication title -
journal of ultrasound in medicine
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.574
H-Index - 91
eISSN - 1550-9613
pISSN - 0278-4297
DOI - 10.1002/jum.14996
Subject(s) - medicine , trigger finger , pulley , visual analogue scale , color doppler , doppler effect , contracture , interphalangeal joint , radiology , ultrasonography , surgery , pathology , mechanical engineering , physics , alternative medicine , astronomy , engineering
Objectives The aim of this study was to investigate the correlation between hypervascularization of the first annular (A1) pulley on color Doppler imaging of trigger finger and patients’ backgrounds. Methods A total of 148 trigger digits from 144 patients were studied with ultrasound at the time of initial diagnosis. We observed the A1 pulley at the level of the metacarpophalangeal joint in a transverse image and noted the presence or absence of a signal in the A1 pulley on color Doppler imaging. Patients’ ages, sexes, clinical grades, symptom durations, prevalence of interphalangeal joint contracture, and visual analog scale pain scores were compared between the groups with positive and negative Doppler findings. Results The 144 patients included 45 men and 99 women. Sixty‐one of 148 digits (41%) showed positive Doppler findings in the A1 pulley. Patients’ ages and visual analog scale scores in the Doppler‐positive group were slightly greater than those in the Doppler‐negative group ( P = .03; P < .01, respectively). The digit with positive Doppler findings tended to be categorized into a severer grade and into the group with a shorter symptom duration ( P < .01 for both). Conclusions Hypervascularization of the A1 pulley tended to appear in an earlier period after the patients had become aware of symptoms, as frequently as their symptoms became severe, in conjunction with higher pain scores. Doppler imaging of the A1 pulley might help in better understanding patients’ conditions.