What are the specific indications for surgery for de Quervains disease?
Two of the three studies that addressed this question reported that surgery was performed only on patients who did not benefit from conservative (non-operative) treatment. However, with so few studies and so many unreported patient characteristics, one cannot assume that the present data are representative of the larger patient population with de Quervain’s disease. Question 3: What are the relative benefits and harms of various surgical and nonsurgical interventions for persons with de Quervain’s disease? Although one study found that corticosteroid plus lidocaine injection produced more treatment success than immobilization splints among de Quervain’s patients, there were design problems with this study. Because of these problems, and because only one study addressed this question, it is difficult to reach firm evidence-based conclusions concerning the effectiveness of any treatment for de Quervain’s disease. Question 4: Is there a relationship between specific clinical findings and
