Article
Iatrogenic nerve injury following steroid injection for thumb basal joint arthritis – A rare complication
Search Medline for
Authors
Published: | February 6, 2020 |
---|
Outline
Text
Objectives/Interrogation: Intra-articular steroid injections are commonly used for symptomatic relief in early degenerative arthritis (Eaton Grade 1 & 2) of the basal joint of thumb. This is considered a relatively safe procedure with few complications such as variable symptom relief, skin depigmentation and the occasional infection reported in literature.
Methods: We report and describe a case that was complicated with an iatrogenic injury to a branch of the superficial radial nerve. This was confirmed on surgical exploration. The neuroma was excised and the proximal nerve end was protected with a synthetic neural cap.
Results and Conclusions: This is a rare complication of a commonly performed simple procedure and has not been previously reported in published literature. We will discuss the possible aetiology of this iatrogenic injury in our patient and make recommendations for prevention, early diagnosis and management.