Forty-three hands in 36 adults undergoing Silastic interposition arthroplasty of the index, middle, ring and little finger metacarpophalangeal joints for rheumatoid arthritis were randomly allocated to undergo replacement with or without crossed intrinsic transfer. The patients were reviewed at a median of 17 (range, 7-50) months after surgery. The demographic characteristics and pre-operative clinical measurements of the two groups were indistinguishable. Both groups showed improvement in ulnar drift and an altered arc, but no change in total range of motion at the metacarpophalangeal joints. Grip strength and pulp to pulp pinch were significantly and comparably improved in both groups. There was no difference in pain scores or perceived function between the treatment groups. It is concluded that crossed intrinsic transfer does not significantly affect the outcome of Silastic interposition arthroplasty of the metacarpophalangeal joints in rheumatoid patients.
Copyright 2001 The British Society for Surgery of the Hand.