Total wrist arthrodesis for septic wrist arthritis and loss of the bony carpus following percutaneous pinning of the fifth carpometacarpal joint: a case report

Low-profile locking-plate vs. the conventional AO system: early comparative results in wrist arthrodesis

INTRODUCTION

Total wrist arthrodesis represents a reliable salvage procedure for severe painful conditions of the wrist. To date, wrist arthrodesis using a dorsal plate reaching from the distal radius to the third metacarpal is still recommended. A new implant (APTUS© 2.5 TriLock Wrist Fusion Plate, Medartis Suisse) that does not cross the third carpometacarpal joint (CMCJ-3) has been introduced recently. The purpose of this retrospective study was to compare both implants concerning early functional and clinical results.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

A total of 20 patients underwent total wrist arthrodesis [10, using the new APTUS© implant (APT); 10 using the Depuy-Synthes© LCP plates (AO)]. The postoperative control interval was 18.2 and 37.2 months in APT and AO, respectively. Clinical assessment included functional parameters such as active range of motion (AROM) for pronation and supination, grip strength, and passive range of motion of the CMCJ-3. Additionally the DASH score and the Krimmer wrist score as well as pain levels at rest and under stress conditions were evaluated.

RESULTS

All patients showed osseous healing without complications except one case of non-union in APT. There were no significant differences between both groups concerning grip strength, AROM of the wrist, pain levels, DASH- and Krimmer Score. APT showed a significantly increased passive range of motion of the CMCJ-3 compared to the unaffected contralateral side.

CONCLUSIONS

The new implant shows similar functional results compared to the standard procedure. The main advantage of the new implant is the fact that no implant removal is necessary due to the unaffected CMCJ-3. Furthermore the mobility of the CMCJ slightly increased and showed positive impact on hand kinematics.

Reconstruction of Carpal Bone Loss of Septic Wrist Arthritis Using Induced Membrane Technique

The induced membrane technique has been widely used for the reconstruction of the segmental bone defect. The technique requires two-stage surgery. The first surgery is debridement of the affected bone and replacement of the defect by cement spacer. The spacer is removed at the second surgery, and the defect is filled with cancellous bone. The use of the technique for septic wrist arthritis treatment has not been reported. We report two cases of septic wrist arthritis treated by the induced membrane technique. Radical debridement including the carpal bones was performed as a first surgery. The cement spacer was placed into the bone defect after first surgery; then cancellous bone was transplanted into the induced membrane several weeks later. External fixator or plate fixation was performed simultaneously. Bone formation was observed in both cases at several months after the reconstruction surgery. There was no pain or recurrence of infection in both cases. We consider this technique is a possible method for reconstruction, especially in a difficult case.