Comparative Analysis of Two Hemiarthroplasty Techniques for Symptomatic Distal Radial Ulnar Joint Arthritis

This study compares midterm outcomes of metallic and pyrocarbon hemiarthroplasties for the treatment of symptomatic DRUJ arthritis. Questions of interest included outcomes and complications. Patients and Methods In total, 32 hemiarthroplasties, 10 metallic and 22 pyrocarbon, were performed between 2010 and 2020 by three surgeons at one tertiary medical center. Patients' retrospective outcomes were extracted from the electronic medical record. Results Postoperatively, the metallic implant group (mean follow-up: 38 months) demonstrated decreased pain but no changes in range of motion. Comparatively, the pyrocarbon group experienced an improved range of motion and postoperative pain (p < 0.05). Radiographic analysis demonstrated 10% of metallic implants and 9% of pyrocarbon implants to have resulted in thinning of the lateral cortex of the radius at the final follow-up. Minor complications in metallic and pyrocarbon implant groups warranting reoperation occurred at rates of 10 and 13.5% while implant failure occurred at a rate of 30 and 18%, respectively. Discussion Within this study, pyrocarbon implants resulted in significant functional improvement with comparable complication and failure rates to the metallic implant. Long-term stability demonstrated efficacy for both techniques in symptomatic DRUJ treatment. Type of Study/Level of Evidence Observational Case Series IV. [...] Thieme Medical Publishers, Inc. 333 Seventh Avenue, 18...
Source: Journal of Wrist Surgery - Category: Orthopaedics Authors: Tags: Scientific Article Source Type: research