The BioPro Thumb Carpometacarpal Hemiarthroplasty: Case Series and Surgical Technique

Thumb carpometacarpal (CMC) osteoarthritis is painful and debilitating. Here, we explore outcomes of a modular, press-fit thumb CMC hemiarthroplasty prosthesis (BioPro). This surgical option permits minimal bone resection, sparing the trapezium, hence allowing revision options if necessary. A retrospective review of all cases of the modular thumb CMC implants performed at one community US center between 2018 and 2021 were included and invited for email or telephone review. Electronic records were examined for demographics, patient outcomes, and morbidity. Eleven patients underwent 11 thumb CMC joint hemiarthroplasties, mean age was 64.8 years (SD: 7.68 y), with 6 females. Six received surgery on their dominant extremity. Two were manual workers (both in the medical field), 6 office-based, 2 retired, and 1 homemaker. The preoperative median pain score (Visual Analog Score) was 8/10 (range: 5 to 10), reducing to 1/10 (range: 1 to 10) ( P =0.000033) with a median follow-up of 23 months (range: 13 to 39 mo). In all, 8/11 patients reported they would recommend this surgery to friends and family and opt for the same surgery on their contralateral hand if necessary. One patient reported persistent pain a year postoperatively. On review, the head of the implant was placed too deep into the trapezium. Another center found that this patient had a postoperative trapezium fracture and underwent revision with implant removal and conversion to a suspension arthroplasty. At 12 months, 10/11 thumb CMC hemiarthroplasty showed good pain relief, function, and patient satisfaction. The BioPro has a low risk of subluxation and allows salvage options to remain available should failure occur.