Short- to Mid-term Evaluation of Patient-Reported Outcomes of Carpometacarpal Denervation for the Treatment of Osteoarthritis of the Thumb: A Prospective Clinical Trial.
Joshua W Hustedt, Benjamin Watzig, Crystal Tijerino et al.
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In 30 seconds
This prospective clinical trial evaluated patient-reported outcomes after carpometacarpal (CMC) denervation for base-of-thumb osteoarthritis. It included 87 procedures in 77 patients, with median follow-up of 2.8 years. Average visual analogue pain scores decreased from 7.2 to 2.1, while QuickDASH and EQ-5D scores also improved. Eighty-seven percent of patients reported better hand function, and 3 of 87 procedures (3.4%) were revised to CMC arthroplasty. The findings suggest improved pain, function, and quality of life over short- to mid-term follow-up.
Key findings
- Average VAS pain scores improved from 7.2 to 2.1 after denervation.
- QuickDASH scores improved from 54.8 to 31.2, and EQ-5D scores from 0.40 to 0.68.
- Eighty-seven percent of patients reported improved hand function.
- Three of 87 procedures (3.4%) were revised to CMC arthroplasty.
Why it matters
Thumb-base osteoarthritis can impair hand function and cause substantial pain. These prospective results indicate that denervation was followed by improvements across pain, function, and quality-of-life measures, with few procedures revised to arthroplasty during follow-up. The findings add short- to mid-term outcome data for this surgical approach, while not establishing how it compares with other treatments.
What to keep in mind
The study was a prospective clinical trial without a comparator group, so it cannot establish comparative effectiveness. Follow-up was short to mid-term.