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Long-term benefits likely with suture suspension arthroplasty for thumb CMC arthritis reconstruction
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SEATTLE — According to data presented at the American Society for Surgery of the Hand Annual Meeting, suture suspension arthroplasty can provide improved function and pain relief in patients who undergo thumb carpometacarpal arthritis reconstruction.
During her presentation, study author Jeanne L. DelSignore, MD, noted the suture suspension method is beneficial for “restoring the first web-space angle, maintaining arthroplasty height and effectively tethering the base of thumb towards the base of index metacarpal.”
She and her colleagues retrospectively evaluated 117 thumbs in 110 patients who underwent suture suspension arthroplasty for thumb carpometacarpal arthritis reconstruction by a single surgeon. Patients had an average follow-up of 89.4 months. They underwent 14 days of thumb immobilization postoperatively followed by splinting for 4 weeks, a rehabilitation protocol, and then unrestricted use at 12 weeks postoperatively. Radiographic data, strength measurement and QuickDASH values were used to evaluate long-term outcomes.
Pain relief, patient satisfaction, functional improvement, grip, key and tip pinch strength significantly improved in most patients. Good to excellent patient satisfaction and function was demonstrated by an average QuickDASH score of 0.3 at final follow-up. Radiographic evidence of subsidence was observed in an average of 30%, while one patient (0.8%) required surgical revision.
“We feel that suture suspension arthroplasty offers a simple, lower morbidity, reliable and cost-effective method with both patient and surgeon benefits,” DelSignore said. – by Christian Ingram
Reference:
DelSignore JL. Paper #42. Presented at: American Society for Surgery of the Hand Annual Meeting; Sept. 10-12, 2015; Seattle.
Disclosure: DelSignore reports no relevant financial disclosures.