Risk factors for trigger finger occurrence after carpal tunnel release

Carpal tunnel syndrome and trigger finger (TF) are common ailments managed by hand surgeons, but it is unclear whether these conditions are related. The purpose of this study was to determine whether there are risk factors for the new-onset of TF after carpal tunnel release (CTR). A retrospective chart review was performed on 792 CTR surgeries and multiple variables were compared between patients who did and did not develop TF after CTR. The incidence of new-onset TF after CTR was 6.3%. Multivariate regression analysis showed that osteoarthritis and undergoing an endoscopic procedure were the only two independent risk factors. Based on these results, we recommend that for endoscopic CTR, the higher incidence of TF should be discussed preoperatively as a potential sequelae. Further, patients with osteoarthritis should be informed of their greater risk of developing TF postoperatively and should be monitored closely for expeditious detection and management of new-onset TF.