Trigger Wrist Phenomenon in Rheumatoid Arthritis: A Case Report

Flexor tendon synovitis in patients with rheumatoid arthritis commonly presents with a carpal tunnel syndrome and a trigger finger. Triggering at the wrist joint is an uncommon feature in this disease. In this case there was a rheumatoid nodule at the wrist joint. The passage of the nodule from the proximal side of the transverse carpal ligament to the distal end, when the fingers were extended, caused a trigger wrist with a click. On surgical exploration, an oval shaped mass arising from the flexor digitorum superficialis tendon of the middle finger was excised, and the transverse carpal ligament was also released. Postoperatively the patient had no further symptoms.