Arthrodesis of the carpometacarpal joint of the thumb. A review of patients with a long postoperative period.

Arthrodesis of the carpometacarpal joint of the thumb is useful in reconstruction of hand deficiencies and in eliminating pain at this site. The author has speculated that fusion of the carpometacarpal joint might lead to pantrapezial arthritis in later years. No patients with painful arthritis received this operation if they were beyond 50 years of age. Sixty-seven patients were followed for three to 25 years after surgery and none have yet developed painful pantrapezial arthritis. Many are still at an age when arthritis is not a problem. A colleague contributed a case of a 60-year-old patient who received a carpometacarpal arthrodesis and who later developed painful arthritis of the adjacent joints. This case demonstrates the need for restraint in using this procedure for the alleviation of arthritis pain in patients over 50 years of age.