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

NCT07683429 | Completed

• 1 other identifier: RTH-DQT-2023
• Study Type: interventional
• Target: 100
• Locations: 1 country
• Sites: 1

Brief Summary

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.

Conditions

DeQuervain's Tenosynovitis

Keywords

De Quervain tenosynovitis; tendinopathy; corticosteroid injection; quasi-experimental study; wrist; surgical release; visual analog scale

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (1)

• Pain intensity - Visual Analog Scale (VAS)

  Pain scored on a 0-10 VAS scale where 0 = no pain and 10 = worst imaginable pain, assessed by a blinded assessor

  Time Frame: Baseline, 1 month, and 6 months post-intervention

Secondary Outcomes (1)

• Adverse events

  Throughout 6-month follow-up period

Study Arms (2)

Corticosteroid Injection (CSI)

ACTIVE COMPARATOR

Single injection of triamcinolone acetonide (40mg/mL, 1mL) combined with 1% lidocaine (1mL) administered into the first dorsal extensor compartment under aseptic conditions without ultrasound guidance.

Drug: Triamcinolone acetonide with lidocaine

Open Surgical Release

ACTIVE COMPARATOR

Open decompression of the first dorsal compartment through a longitudinal incision over the radial styloid, with release of the fibro-osseous sheath overlying the APL and EPB tendons, closed with non-absorbable sutures.

Procedure: Open surgical release of first dorsal extensor compartment

Interventions

Triamcinolone acetonide with lidocaine DRUG

Triamcinolone acetonide 40mg/mL (1mL) + 1% lidocaine (1mL) - single injection

Corticosteroid Injection (CSI)

Open surgical release of first dorsal extensor compartment PROCEDURE

Longitudinal decompression of the fibro-osseous sheath overlying APL and EPB tendons

Open Surgical Release

Eligibility Criteria

• Age: 18 Years - 70 Years
• Sex: all
• Healthy Volunteers: No
• Age Groups: Adult (18-64), Older Adult (65+)

You may qualify if:

• Clinical diagnosis of De Quervain tenosynovitis confirmed by positive Finkelstein test
• Age 18-70 years
• Pain sufficiently severe to impair activities of daily living
• Failure to respond to at least 4 weeks of conservative management

You may not qualify if:

• Concurrent inflammatory arthropathy (rheumatoid arthritis or gout)
• History of prior wrist injury
• Previous surgical or injection treatment for De Quervain tenosynovitis
• Coexisting upper limb pathology (rotator cuff pathology, epicondylitis, or carpal tunnel syndrome)

Sponsors & Collaborators

• Rawalpindi Teaching Hospital, District Headquarter Hospital, Rawalpindi: lead

Study Sites (1)

Rawalpindi Teaching Hospital.

Rawalpindi, Punjab Province, 46000, Pakistan

Location

MeSH Terms

Conditions

De Quervain Disease; Tendinopathy

Interventions

Triamcinolone Acetonide; Lidocaine

Condition Hierarchy (Ancestors)

Tendon Entrapment; Muscular Diseases; Musculoskeletal Diseases; Tendon Injuries; Wounds and Injuries

Intervention Hierarchy (Ancestors)

Triamcinolone; Pregnadienes; Pregnanes; Steroids; Fused-Ring Compounds; Polycyclic Compounds; Steroids, Fluorinated; Acetanilides; Anilides; Amides; Organic Chemicals; Aniline Compounds; Amines

Study Officials

• Saad Riaz, FCPS Orthopedic Surgery

  Rawalpindi Teaching Hospital.

  STUDY CHAIR

Study Design

• Study Type: interventional
• Phase: not applicable
• Allocation: NON RANDOMIZED
• Masking: SINGLE
• Who Masked: OUTCOMES ASSESSOR
• Masking Details: VAS assessments at follow-up were performed by a trained assessor blinded to treatment allocation.
• Purpose: TREATMENT
• Intervention Model: PARALLEL
• Sponsor Type: OTHER GOV
• Responsible Party: PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR
• PI Title: Post-graduate resident Trauma & Orthopedics

Study Record Dates

• First Submitted: June 27, 2026
• First Posted: July 6, 2026
• Study Start: March 3, 2023
• Primary Completion: April 3, 2025
• Study Completion: April 20, 2025
• Last Updated: July 6, 2026

Record last verified: 2026-06

Data Sharing

• IPD Sharing: Will not share

Locations

PA (1)