Unplanned Early Reoperation Rate Following Thumb Basal Joint Arthroplasty

PURPOSE: Thumb basal joint arthritis is a common degenerative condition of the hand that is often managed with thumb basal joint arthroplasty (BJA). This procedure generally results in a high level of patient satisfaction; however, the rate and cause of early unplanned reoperation after thumb BJA are not well-understood. Therefore, we performed a review to better understand the rate and cause of early reoperation. METHODS: A retrospective review of all thumb BJA cases performed at a single private academic center between 2014 and 2016 yielded 637 patients and 686 primary thumb BJAs with a minimum 1-year follow-up (mean, 2.4 years). Data collection included patient demographics, surgical technique and type of thumb BJA performed, time to reoperation, reason for early reoperation (within 2 years), and type of reoperation. RESULTS: Of 686 patients undergoing thumb BJAs, 10 had unplanned early reoperation (1.5%). Mean duration between the index procedure and reoperation was 5.2 months (range, 0.5–14.3 months). Of the 10 unplanned early reoperations, 4 thumbs in 4 patients required revision arthroplasties owing to persistent pain. Time to reoperation for revision arthroplasty was 9.6 months (range, 3.9–14.3 months). Three of 10 reoperations resulted from early infection, 2 from unplanned early removal of symptomatic K-wires, and one from radial sensory neuritis. CONCLUSIONS: In this series of nearly 700 consecutive cases, we identified an unexpected early reoperation rate of 1.5%, with only a 0.6% reoperation rate specifically for painful subsidence requiring a revision arthroplasty. Mean time to revision was 9.6 months. These rates are lower than those published previously and should be considered by patients and surgeons when planning thumb BJA. TYPE OF STUDY/LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Prognostic IV.