[Joint Arthroplasty with a silastic Spacer in open defect Injuries of a Finger Joint during primary Surgery]

Silastic spacer replacement for the treatment of destroyed finger joints due to degenerative, post-traumatic or rheumatoid osteoarthritis has been well established for years. In acute severely traumatized hands silastic spacer replacement is seldomly performed We report five consecutive patients in whom a defect injury of a finger joint was replaced by a silicone implant without complications during primary care. We reviewed all our patients with a follow up of at least 8 months. In all patients healing was uneventful, with no infections and a functional range of motion. No patient complained about instability. With the right patient selection, joint replacement with silastic spacers is a valuable alternative to arthrodesis in acute destroyed finger joints.