Arthritis in the trapeziometacarpal joint of the thumb can cause swelling and loss of motion. Treatment options include arthrodesis, replacement arthroplasty and interposition arthroplasty. Our objective in this clinical study was to determine outcomes after trapezial arthroplasty with a silicone rubber implant and the relationship between self-reported and measured outcomes.
At the Hand and Upper Limb Centre, St. Joseph's Hospital, London, Ont., a tertiary care centre, we reviewed a series of 26 patients with advanced osteoarthritis who underwent silicone rubber trapezial arthroplasty. The follow-up averaged 6.5 years. We assessed the outcomes subjectively, and by clinical, functional and radiographic examination.
Although 88% of patients reported some improvement in pain and satisfaction, when quantified the improvement was less impressive: only 5.7 (on a visual analogue scale of 1-10, poor-excellent) for pain and 5.6 for satisfaction. Superior subjective results were reported by patients older than 60 years. Osteoarthritic changes had caused pronounced functional impairment in the hands of patients who underwent surgery and those who did not, so that any long-term benefit of surgery was not measurable. Patients had difficulty manipulating both small and large objects on the Jebsen's hand function test. Peri-implant and carpal radiographic lytic changes were observed in 90% of patients. Six patients (20%) required revision surgery (3 early, 3 late), including 1 with a pathologic scaphoid fracture.
Although clinical, functional and radiographic results were poor, they did not predict either satisfaction or pain improvement reported by patients, illustrating the need for a comprehensive standardized outcome evaluation to make informed decisions on the value of surgical intervention for osteoarthritis of the trapeziometacarpal joint.