Which test evaluates DeQuervain's syndrome?

• A. Finkelstein's test
• B. Phalen's test
• C. Tinels test
• D. Prayers sign

Answer: (A)

DeQuervain's tenosynovitis is inflammation of the tendon sheath around the thumb’s tendons that run in the first dorsal compartment (abductor pollicis longus and extensor pollicis brevis). The Finkelstein test targets exactly this area by having the patient tuck the thumb inside a fist and then ulnarly deviate the wrist. This motion tightens and stretches those tendons as they pass through their sheath; if the sheath is inflamed, the maneuver reproduces sharp pain at the radial aspect of the wrist near the base of the thumb. A positive result supports the diagnosis because it reflects irritation specific to the first dorsal compartment tendons. The other tests assess different conditions—Phalen's test for carpal tunnel syndrome (median nerve), Tinel's sign for nerve irritability at the wrist—so they don’t specifically diagnose DeQuervain's. The “Prayer sign” is not used for this condition.