The Safety and Efficacy of Percutaneous Trigger Finger Release Under Local Anaesthesia

Abstract

Objective:To determine the safety and efficacy of trigger finger and thumb released percutaneously with an 18 gauge needle under local anaesthesia. Materials and Methods: This descriptive case series study was conducted at Orthopaedic and Traumatology Unit “A” Medical Teaching Institution(MTI) Lady Reading Hospital (LRH) Peshawar Pakistan from April 2014 to December 2015.All patients of trigger finger or thumb of either gender fulfilling the inclusion criteria were percutaneously released under local anaesthesia with the tip of an 18-gauge hypodermic needle.Post operative assessment of these patients was done weekly for a month and then monthly for 6 months. Clinical results were evaluated in terms of pain, activity level and patient satisfaction after 6 months at follow up and rated as excellent, good and poor. Results:Thirty two fingers in twenty five patients with mean age 38.28 years±11SD (range 18 to 62 years) were included in the study. Post operatively excellent results were achieved in 90.9%(20/22) patients and good in 9%(2/22) patients at six months follow up. There were only 3(9.3%) failed releases requiring conversion to open release. There was no recurrence of trigger finger and no digital nerve nor tendon injuries reported. Conclusion:Percutaneous trigger finger release under local anaesthesia is a safe and highly effective method for releasing trigger fingers. We recommend it as a treatment of choice for established trigger finger or thumb.