Acupotomy for patients with trigger finger: A systematic review protocol

BACKGROUND: Trigger finger is thought to be caused by aseptic inflammation of the A1 pulley and subsequent thickening and narrowing of the fibrous sheath. Acupotomy has been an important treatment for trigger finger. But an updated systematic review about this issue has not yet been released. This systematic review protocol is aimed at providing a higher quality method used to evaluate the efficacy and safety of acupotomy treatment for trigger finger. METHODS: The following databases will be searched from the study inception to July 2019: the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (Cochrane Library), MEDLINE, EMBASE, PubMed, China National Knowledge Infrastructure, Wan-Fang Data, and Chinese Biomedical Literature Database. All English or Chinese randomized controlled trials related to acupotomy for trigger finger will be included. Two reviewers will independently perform the processes of study inclusion, data extraction, and quality assessment. The primary outcome will be assessed by improvement of the pain symptoms and finger activity. Secondary outcomes will be assessed through Safety assessment. Meta-analysis will be completed by RevMan V.5.3 software. RESULTS: This systematic review will provide an assessment of the current state of acupotomy for trigger finger, aiming to show the efficacy and safety of treatment. CONCLUSION: This systematic review will re-evaluate a higher-quality systematic review to obtain a relatively convincing conclusion that finds acupotomy to be a better choice for trigger finger patients. PROSPERO REGISTRATION NUMBER: CRD42018118663