Information for Patients

From the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons

Tendinitis de deQuervain (de Quervain's Tendinitis)

de Quervain's Disease

by George L. Yeh, MD; Scott W. Wolfe, MD

De Quervain's disease is a stenosing tendovaginitis of the first dorsal compartment of the wrist. Tendovaginitis refers to the inflamed and thickened retinacular sheath, which is characteristic of de Quervain's disease. De Quervain's disease classically affects those who are in their forties and fifties. The incidence in women may be up to six more times more common than in men. The process is aggravated by activities that require frequent and repetitive abduction and simultaneous ulnar deviation at the wrist. The diagnosis is usually easily made after eliciting a history of radial-sided wrist pain aggravated by thumb movement.

The pathophysiology and clinical presentation of de Quervain's disease are reviewed, and the nonsurgical and surgical management options are reviewed in detail, including the first dorsal compartment release.

Keywords: thumb, first dorsal compartment stenosing tendinitis, de Quervain tendinitis, retinacular sheath, tendovaginitis, extensor tendons, extensor pollicis brevis, abductor pollicis longus, incidence, mechanism of injury, diagnosis, patient history, physical examination, imaging, radiography, differential diagnosis, management, surgical treatment, surgical techniques, nonsurgical treatment, indications, contraindications, complications, first dorsal compartment release, outcomes, rehabilitation

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