Flexor tenosynovectomy in the rheumatoid finger

The usual operation fo stenosing flexor tenosynovitis is resection of the proximal pulley. In the rheumatoid hand this operation may not be proper because motion still may be limited by the thickened synovium more distally, and also because there is a greater chance for the production of ulnar drift later on if the proximal pulley system is obliterated. The operation we recommend for the finger with rheumatoid tenosynovitis is a tenosynovectomy, but with maintainence of the pulley system and resection of one slip of the superficialis in order to decompress the digital theca. We have performed this operation on 54 fingers with satisfactory results.