Abductor pollicis longus tendon rupture in De Quervain's disease

De Quervain's disease is a stenosing tenovaginitis involving the first extensor compartment of the wrist. The similarity of its symptomatology to a number of other conditions and its controversial aetiology are only a few of the barriers which often delay its diagnosis and treatment. We report the first two cases in the literature of abductor pollicus longus tendon rupture in patients with De Quervain's disease who had been treated with conservative methods. The relevant literature is reviewed.