Long-term results of Swanson silastic arthroplasty in the rheumatoid wrist.

We report a long-term follow-up of 6 to 11.8 years (mean = 8 years) of our first 50 Swanson wrist arthroplasties. All patients had long standing sero-positive rheumatoid arthritis with a mean age of 48 years. A detailed clinical and radiologic assessment was carried out on all the wrists. There was excellent sustained pain relief (mean score = 1.7) with improved activities of daily living. A mean range of wrist movement of 25 degrees of extension and 31 degrees of flexion was obtained. The prosthetic fracture rate was 22% of which 14% were symptomatic and needed re-operation. Carpal collapse was seen in all wrists, but was often symmetrical and accompanied by radial new bone formation on X-ray (86%). We feel that our long-term results justify the continued selective use of the Swanson wrist in the low-demand patient with quiescent disease who desires pain-free limited mobility and sophisticated grasp.