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Carpal Implants in the Current Surgical Landscape: An Illustrated Overview
Antonius A van den Hurk1, Lisa E Ramaut2, Rutger M Schols1,2,3
1Department of Plastic, Reconstructive, and Hand Surgery, Maastricht University Medical Center+, 6229 Maastricht, The Netherlands.
Journal of Personalized Medicine
|December 24, 2025
Summary
Carpal implants offer a viable treatment for hand and wrist osteoarthritis, performing comparably to non-implant options. Careful patient selection is crucial due to potential higher complication risks with implants.
Area of Science:
- Orthopedic surgery
- Biomaterials science
Background:
- Hand and wrist osteoarthritis significantly impacts quality of life.
- Carpal osteoarthritis presents in various forms due to complex anatomy.
- Implant arthroplasty is a standard treatment for many joints.
Purpose of the Study:
- To provide an overview of commonly used carpal implants.
- To inform the selection of the most suitable implant for individual patients.
Main Methods:
- Narrative review of carpal implants: total wrist, first carpometacarpal, Amandys®, Pyrocardan® disc, pyrocarbon capitate resurfacing, adaptive proximal scaphoid, and total carpal replacement.
- Literature search conducted for each implant type.
- Inclusion of all studies investigating implant performance.
Main Results:
- Implant arthroplasty results vary by implant type.
- Joint-replacing implants may benefit specific populations.
- Joint resurfacing implants show comparable functional outcomes to non-implant alternatives.
- Complication rates for implants are similar to or higher than non-implant options.
Conclusions:
- Carpal implants are a valid treatment for carpal osteoarthritis.
- Implant performance is comparable to non-implant surgical options.
- Careful patient selection is essential due to potential increased complication risks.
