The surgical management of the arthritic hand

The surgical management of the arthritic hand is very largely concerned with rheumatoid arthritis and Still's disease and less frequently with psoriatic and degenerative arthritis. In the rheumatoid hand the surgeon may be called upon to intervene at any point in the chain reaction leading to total deformity, performing synovectomies of joints or tendons to relieve pain or prevent further deformity, repairing ruptured tendons, restoring the mechanism of injured joints, and correcting deformities when they have been allowed to occur. The great variety of operations that may be necessary to achieve these ends, with varying degrees of success, are discussed with reference to a personal series of 970 cases and 2002 operations.