Surgical Management of Thumb Carpometacarpal Osteoarthritis: A Systematic Review, Network Meta-analysis, and Longitudinal Analysis of Surgical Complications

Purpose: Thumb carpometacarpal osteoarthritis (CMC OA) is a common condition associated with functional limitations and pain. Surgical interventions for CMC OA include simple trapeziectomy, ligament reconstruction and tendon interposition, arthrodesis, and joint replacement. The aim of this review w...

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Main Authors: Annora Ai-Wei Kumar, BBioMedSc, Matthew Lawson-Smith, MBBCh BAO
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Elsevier 2025-05-01
Series:Journal of Hand Surgery Global Online
Subjects:
Online Access:http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2589514125000180
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author Annora Ai-Wei Kumar, BBioMedSc
Matthew Lawson-Smith, MBBCh BAO
author_facet Annora Ai-Wei Kumar, BBioMedSc
Matthew Lawson-Smith, MBBCh BAO
author_sort Annora Ai-Wei Kumar, BBioMedSc
collection DOAJ
description Purpose: Thumb carpometacarpal osteoarthritis (CMC OA) is a common condition associated with functional limitations and pain. Surgical interventions for CMC OA include simple trapeziectomy, ligament reconstruction and tendon interposition, arthrodesis, and joint replacement. The aim of this review was to evaluate the comparative effectiveness of surgical techniques. Methods: A systematic review was performed, and the Medline, EMBASE, and SCOPUS databases were searched. Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) investigating the surgical management of CMC OA were included. The outcomes of interest were long-term pain reduction (visual analog scale), complications, and functional improvement (Disabilities of Arm, Shoulder and Hand questionnaire). Bayesian network meta-analyses were conducted, and longitudinal analysis of complication severity was performed using the Kruskal-Wallis H test. Results: There were 26 RCTs included, representing 19 surgical techniques and 1,193 hands. The average follow-up period was 29 months. In the analyses of pain, simple trapeziectomy ranked first, and trapeziectomy with button ranked last. Uncemented joint replacement ranked first in the analyses of function. Trapeziectomy alone demonstrated the most favorable results regarding avoidance of complications, and arthrodesis with plate and screw ranked last in the analysis of complications. Alternative surgical techniques were associated with a relative increase in complication severity across all time periods (χ2(2) = 22.92, 46.82, and 7.01 after 0–3, 3–12, and 12+ months; P < .001, <.001, and .03, respectively). Conclusions: Our findings demonstrate that simple trapeziectomy is effective at relieving the pain associated with CMC OA and minimizing postoperative complications, demonstrating a relative increase in both the number and severity of complications after alternative surgical techniques. Clinical relevance: Our review supports the use of simple trapeziectomy as the mainstay of surgical management of CMC OA, providing the foundation for research investigating metacarpal subsidence, trapeziometacarpal biomechanics, and implant dynamics in patients with CMC OA.
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spelling doaj-art-2dd13a36f0fa4296b2458b0ca21cc3e32025-08-20T03:13:12ZengElsevierJournal of Hand Surgery Global Online2589-51412025-05-017310070810.1016/j.jhsg.2025.02.001Surgical Management of Thumb Carpometacarpal Osteoarthritis: A Systematic Review, Network Meta-analysis, and Longitudinal Analysis of Surgical ComplicationsAnnora Ai-Wei Kumar, BBioMedSc0Matthew Lawson-Smith, MBBCh BAO1Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, The University of Western Australia, Crawley, WA, Australia; Corresponding author: Annora Ai-Wei Kumar, The University of Western Australia, 35 Stirling Hwy, Crawley WA 6009, Australia.Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, The University of Western Australia, Crawley, WA, Australia; School of Medicine, The University of Notre Dame, Fremantle, WA, Australia; Department of Hand Surgery; Department of Orthopaedics, Fremantle Hospital, Fremantle, WA, AustraliaPurpose: Thumb carpometacarpal osteoarthritis (CMC OA) is a common condition associated with functional limitations and pain. Surgical interventions for CMC OA include simple trapeziectomy, ligament reconstruction and tendon interposition, arthrodesis, and joint replacement. The aim of this review was to evaluate the comparative effectiveness of surgical techniques. Methods: A systematic review was performed, and the Medline, EMBASE, and SCOPUS databases were searched. Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) investigating the surgical management of CMC OA were included. The outcomes of interest were long-term pain reduction (visual analog scale), complications, and functional improvement (Disabilities of Arm, Shoulder and Hand questionnaire). Bayesian network meta-analyses were conducted, and longitudinal analysis of complication severity was performed using the Kruskal-Wallis H test. Results: There were 26 RCTs included, representing 19 surgical techniques and 1,193 hands. The average follow-up period was 29 months. In the analyses of pain, simple trapeziectomy ranked first, and trapeziectomy with button ranked last. Uncemented joint replacement ranked first in the analyses of function. Trapeziectomy alone demonstrated the most favorable results regarding avoidance of complications, and arthrodesis with plate and screw ranked last in the analysis of complications. Alternative surgical techniques were associated with a relative increase in complication severity across all time periods (χ2(2) = 22.92, 46.82, and 7.01 after 0–3, 3–12, and 12+ months; P < .001, <.001, and .03, respectively). Conclusions: Our findings demonstrate that simple trapeziectomy is effective at relieving the pain associated with CMC OA and minimizing postoperative complications, demonstrating a relative increase in both the number and severity of complications after alternative surgical techniques. Clinical relevance: Our review supports the use of simple trapeziectomy as the mainstay of surgical management of CMC OA, providing the foundation for research investigating metacarpal subsidence, trapeziometacarpal biomechanics, and implant dynamics in patients with CMC OA.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2589514125000180Network meta-analysisOsteoarthritisPainTrapeziectomy
spellingShingle Annora Ai-Wei Kumar, BBioMedSc
Matthew Lawson-Smith, MBBCh BAO
Surgical Management of Thumb Carpometacarpal Osteoarthritis: A Systematic Review, Network Meta-analysis, and Longitudinal Analysis of Surgical Complications
Journal of Hand Surgery Global Online
Network meta-analysis
Osteoarthritis
Pain
Trapeziectomy
title Surgical Management of Thumb Carpometacarpal Osteoarthritis: A Systematic Review, Network Meta-analysis, and Longitudinal Analysis of Surgical Complications
title_full Surgical Management of Thumb Carpometacarpal Osteoarthritis: A Systematic Review, Network Meta-analysis, and Longitudinal Analysis of Surgical Complications
title_fullStr Surgical Management of Thumb Carpometacarpal Osteoarthritis: A Systematic Review, Network Meta-analysis, and Longitudinal Analysis of Surgical Complications
title_full_unstemmed Surgical Management of Thumb Carpometacarpal Osteoarthritis: A Systematic Review, Network Meta-analysis, and Longitudinal Analysis of Surgical Complications
title_short Surgical Management of Thumb Carpometacarpal Osteoarthritis: A Systematic Review, Network Meta-analysis, and Longitudinal Analysis of Surgical Complications
title_sort surgical management of thumb carpometacarpal osteoarthritis a systematic review network meta analysis and longitudinal analysis of surgical complications
topic Network meta-analysis
Osteoarthritis
Pain
Trapeziectomy
url http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2589514125000180
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