Zancolli's procedure: technique and indications.

Area of Science:

• Orthopedic Surgery
• Anatomy
• Hand Surgery

Background:

• Anatomical variations in the abductor pollicis longus (APL) muscle insertion.
• Accessory or supernumerary distal APL bundles can cause issues.
• Zancolli described a partial APL tenotomy for these variations.

Purpose of the Study:

• To describe the surgical technique for a minimally invasive partial APL tenotomy.
• To report the results and indications for this procedure.
• To evaluate its use in trapeziometacarpal osteoarthritis.

Main Methods:

• Anatomical and pathophysiological review.
• Description of a minimally invasive, extra-capsular surgical technique.
• Partial tenotomy of accessory or supernumerary distal APL bundles.

Main Results:

• The technique is simple and minimally invasive.
• It is indicated for Dell stage I or II trapeziometacarpal osteoarthritis.
• Effective for pain relief when conservative treatment fails.

Conclusions:

• Partial APL tenotomy is a viable surgical option for specific anatomical variations.
• This technique offers a conservative surgical approach for early-stage trapeziometacarpal osteoarthritis.
• It provides pain relief in patients unresponsive to non-operative management.