Percutaneous release of the trigger fingers by the newly designed knife and probe

We designed a double curved probe and sickle shaped knife for minimally invasive percutaneous release of trigger finger. After palpating the trigger point sufficiently under local anesthesia, a 3 mm transverse skin incision is made 5 mm proximal to the trigger point. The probe is inserted into the A1-pulley cavity to detect the movement of the probe in coordination with the finger movement. The knife is inserted into the A1-pulley cavity parallel to the tendon, elevated to the palmar side and then the A1-pulley is cut moving distally, repeating the process to completely release the full length of the A1-pulley. The procedure is continued until smooth movement of the trigger finger is confirmed by moving the finger. The unsutured wounds closes at 4-5 days after operation allowing free hand washing. All except 2 of the 58 fingers, including 23 thumbs, were treated successfully.