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Long-Term Results of Suture-Button Suspensionplasty in the Treatment of Thumb Carpometacarpal Arthritis: A Minimum 10-year Follow-Up
Jordan Lachnish, MD, Ashley Lauren Titan, MD, Subhro Sen, MD and Jeffrey Yao, MD, Stanford University, Redwood City, CA


Introduction
Combined trapeziectomy and suture-button suspensionplasty (SBS) is a common and well-established surgical treatment for thumb carpometacarpal osteoarthritis (CMC OA). While short and mid-term follow-up studies have shown promising outcomes with patients retaining excellent range of motion (ROM) and strength, there is a lack of long-term data. The aim of our study was to assess the long-term outcomes of patients who underwent SBS surgery for thumb arthritis, with a minimum follow up period of 10 years.
Material & Methods
We evaluated 13 patients, at least 10 years after undergoing SBS surgery for thumb CMC arthritis. We measured grip and pinch strength, ROM and trapezial space height, and compared it to the respective values measured on the routine postoperative 3-month follow-up visit. All patients have additionally completed the Quick Disabilities of the Arm, Shoulder, and Hand questionnaire (QuickDASH).
Results
The study included 10 women and 3 men with an average age of 71.4 ± 8.5, and mean follow-up of 11.5 ± 1.1 years post operatively. The mean QuickDASH score was 8.7 ± 10.7 at long term follow up, compared to 28.2 ± 20.2 three months after the surgery. Grip and pinch strengths were 113% and 105% of the 3-month postoperative value, respectively. Palmar abduction, radial abduction and opposition were 89%, 98% and 100% of the 3-month postoperative value, respectively. Average height of the trapezial space was 69% of the previous postoperative measurement (Fig. 1). There were no statistically significant differences between groups in ROM, strength and subsidence.
Conclusions
Our findings demonstrate that patients who underwent SBS surgery for thumb CMC OA achieve excellent long-term outcomes by maintaining favorable subjective and objective results, despite some radiographic subsidence over time. These results indicate SBS to be an effective and durable technique for long-term management of thumb CMC OA.

Figure 1- Trapezial space height calculation.png
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