Ultrasound guided versus blinded injection in trigger finger treatment: a prospective controlled study.

Abstract

Trigger finger is a common disease with a lifetime prevalence of 2%. One of the frequently preferred non-surgical treatments is blinded injection around the A1 pulley. This study aims to compare the clinical results of ultrasound-guided and blinded corticosteroid injection in the trigger finger. In this prospective clinical study, 66 patients who had persistent symptoms of a single trigger finger were included. Patients with similar baseline characteristics such as age, gender, triggering period, and comorbidities were randomized. 34 patients had ultrasound-guided (UG), and 32 had blinded injections (BG). QDASH, VAS, time to return to work, and complications were compared between the groups. The mean age was 52,66 (29-73) years. There were 18 male and 48 female patients. In the UG, the triggering resolved faster, returning to work was earlier, and the medication period was shorter (p < 0.05). A total of 17 patients who had diabetes mellitus received re-injections, 11 of which were in BG and 6 in UG (p < 0.05). Although statistically significantly lower scores were obtained in UG at the 1st and 4th weeks in the QDASH and VAS scores (p < 0.05), at the 12th and 24 weeks, there was no significant difference (p > 0.05). Using ultrasound guidance for corticosteroid injections is more effective for treating trigger fingers than the blinded method, leading to better results and a faster return to work in the early stages of treatment.