Excision of the trapezium for osteoarthritis of the trapeziometacarpal joint: a study of the benefit of ligament reconstruction or tendon interposition.

PURPOSE: To investigate whether palmaris longus interposition or flexor carpi radialis ligament reconstruction and tendon interposition improved the outcome of excision of the trapezium for the treatment of painful osteoarthritis of the trapeziometacarpal joint.

METHODS: 183 thumbs with trapeziometacarpal osteoarthritis were randomized for treatment by either simple trapeziectomy, trapeziectomy with palmaris longus interposition, or trapeziectomy with ligament reconstruction and tendon interposition using 50% of the flexor carpi radialis tendon. A K-wire was passed across the trapezial void during each of the 183 surgeries to hold the base of the thumb metacarpal at the level of the index carpometacarpal joint and was retained for 4 weeks in every case. All patients wore a thumb splint for 6 weeks. Each patient had subjective and objective assessments of thumb pain, stiffness, and strength before surgery and at 3 months and 1 year after surgery.

RESULTS: The 3 treatment groups were well matched for age, dominance, and presence of associated conditions. Complications were distributed evenly among the 3 groups and no cases of subluxation/dislocation of the pseudarthrosis were observed. Of the 183 thumbs 82% achieved good pain relief and 68% regained sufficient strength to allow normal activities of daily living at the 1-year follow-up evaluation. Neither of these subjective outcomes nor the range of thumb movement was influenced by the type of surgery performed. Thumb key-pinch strength improved significantly from 3.5 kg before surgery to 4.6 kg at 1 year but the improvement in strength was not influenced by the type of surgery performed.

CONCLUSIONS: The outcomes of these 3 variations of trapeziectomy were very similar at 1-year follow-up evaluation. In the short term at least there appears to be no benefit to tendon interposition or ligament reconstruction.