Resection arthroplasty of the carpometacarpal joint of the thumb is considered to be the most frequently used surgical treatment for osteoarthritis of the trapeziometacarpal joint. Although simple trapeziectomy and fixation of the capsular tissue have been found to be an easy, successful treatment, the ligament reconstruction and tendon interposition in different techniques is still widely used. We evaluate the results of our patients after simple trapeziectomy.
Thirty-four thumbs were treated by simple trapeziectomy and fixation of the dorsal capsular tissue. If the dorsal capsular tissue seemed to be weak, it was fixed with a mitek anchor (Minilok Quickanchor, De Puy Mitek, Raynham, USA) to the distal scaphoid pole. Assessment included patient satisfaction, pain measurement, range of motion and tip, key and grip strength.
After a mean follow-up of 26.9 (8-61) months, 91% were satisfied with the outcome, 94.1% would undergo the procedure again. 41% of the patients reported complete pain relief, 44% had pain only with large mechanical load. At follow-up, the mean DASH score was 29.2 (+/-21.7). We noticed in 29% paraesthesia at the back of the thumb, suggesting damage to branches of the superficial radial nerve. Furthermore, we tried two easy functional tests: 91% of the patients could hold a cup of coffee without any pain, 76.4% could hold a one-litre bottle without pain.
The collected data confirm that the simple trapeziectomy is a safe and relative simple procedure for treatment of carpometacarpal osteoarthritis of the thumb.