The surgical treatment of the rheumatoid wrist is key in managing the affected hand. Wrist fusion is often the treatment of choice in cases of severe destruction and deformation although most patients would prefer a motion-preserving procedure. The implantation of a wrist prosthesis might be an alternative to partial arthrodesis for selected cases. In this series we analyzed the long-term results (minimum follow-up period, 10 y) of the Swanson silicone spacer for the wrist in patients with rheumatoid arthritis.
Sixteen patients with rheumatoid arthritis with 18 silicone spacers for the wrists were reviewed after a minimum follow-up period of 10 years (average, 15 y). Subjective evaluation, clinical examination, and radiographic analysis were included. An additional 9 patients (9 wrists) were interviewed by telephone.
In 12 of the patients the subjective result was good or very good, mostly because of adequate pain relief. The average range of motion for flexion (average, 28 degrees )/extension (average, 15 degrees ) was 43 degrees with a wide variation within the series. Radiologically all wrists had diminished residual carpal height at follow-up evaluation and 9 of the wrists had evidence of osteolysis and foreign-body granuloma. The initial good correction of the ulnar translation of the wrist was lost partially in the follow-up period (1.1 vs 4.0 mm). Three of the patients needed surgical revision within the follow-up period; all were converted to wrist fusion.
These long-term results suggest that the silicone wrist spacer still may be considered as an alternative to wrist fusion or more complex wrist joint prostheses in patients with rheumatoid arthritis, especially in severe cases and in patients with low demands. In the long term osteolysis caused by foreign-body granulation is to be expected and has to be considered.