Colonoscopist’s Thumb (de Quervain Syndrome)

Twelve years ago, a survey of U.S. gastroenterologists revealed that 19% had thumb pain that was exacerbated by endoscopy (Endoscopy 1994; 26:539). Now, an investigator describes severe tenosynovitis involving the left thumb in a 52-year-old left-handed male gastroenterologist who had performed more than 10,000 colonoscopies and esophagogastroduodenoscopies during the previous 20 years. He was treated with ibuprofen and a steroid injection and subsequently could perform about 20 endoscopies weekly with the aid of a thumb splint.