Preliminary results of total wrist arthroplasty in rheumatoid arthritis using the trispherical total wrist arthroplasty

Abstract

Thirty-two patients underwent 38 arthroplasties for advanced rheumatoid arthritis and marked soft tissue losses. Seven wrists required repair or transfer of at least one tendon for rebalancing. All patients were improved by the implants. Thirty-four of the 38 patients were improved beyond the functional level of a painless wrist arthrodesis. Overall, there were 23 excellent, 10 good, 3 fair, and 2 poor results. The average wrist score was 90.3 points, and the average arc of motion was 38°. There were three cases of migration of the third metacarpal stem and nine cases of lucency about the stems, three of which were progressive or greater than 1 mm. There were no deep infections. There was one reoperation for persistent pain and one for component loosening. There were no cases of implant failure. These results indicate that this total wrist arthroplasty is a safe, reproducible procedure for radiographic class III and IV rheumatoid disease and should be considered a first line of therapy for that group.