Trapeziometacarpal total joint arthroplasty for osteoarthritis: 199 patients with a minimum of 10 years follow-up

Abstract

Trapeziometacarpal osteoarthritis (TMCOA) is a highly prevalent disease in the older population. Many different types of surgical treatments are possible, depending on the degree of joint involvement, the personal and professional circumstances of the patient and the preferences of the orthopedic surgeon. This paper evaluated the clinical and radiological results of consecutive cohorts of patients over 65 years old treated with total joint arthroplasties (TJA) of the ball and socket type (B&S) for TMCOA, with a minimum of 10 years follow-up. The survival rate (Kaplan–Meier) of the functional prostheses at 10 years was 92.2% (95% CI (89.1%, 96.1%). These functional arthroplasty patients, after 10 years of follow-up, showed little or no pain, good function and good key pinch, without radiological alterations. TJAs of the B&S type are a long lasting, effective and reliable alternative to surgical treatment of TMCOA in patients over 65 years of age, when they are performed with the patient selection criteria and surgical technique described throughout this study.