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Long-term outcomes of bioabsorbable polylactide scaffold-based versus conventional arthroplasty for
Antek Nicklas1, Feras Taqatqeh2, Adrian Dragu1
1UniversityCenter for Orthopedics, Trauma and Plastic Surgery, Faculty of Medicine and University Hospital Carl Gustav Carus, TU Dresden, Germany.
Introduction:
With rapid advancements in hand surgery, new approaches for treating trapeziometacarpal osteoarthritis are continuously evaluated. RegJoint™ is a bioabsorbable polylactide scaffold for scaphometacarpal interposition after trapeziectomy. However, the long-term outcomes of arthroplasty with bioabsorbable polylactide scaffolds compared to conventional arthroplasty techniques remain uncertain.
Materials And Methods:
A comprehensive clinical and radiological evaluation was conducted on 18 patients, with a mean follow-up duration of 45.5 months. Patient-reported outcomes were assessed using the EQ-5D, DASH, and SF-36 questionnaires. The clinical assessment encompassed measurements of range of motion, opposition, first-ray length, key-pinch and grip strength.
Results:
The two groups showed comparable results with respect to the EQ-5D, DASH, SF-36, and clinical assessments.
Conclusions:
Arthroplasty with bioabsorbable polylactide scaffolds and conventional arthroplasty techniques demonstrate comparable long-term outcomes in this small cohort study, and neither approach showed a clear advantage over the other. Given these findings, no definitive recommendation can be made between the different techniques. However, the RegJoint™ approach avoids the need for a second donor site, preserves native tissue, and lowers the risk of donor-site infection, indicating a favorable tendency toward its use. Further investigation into its potential benefits, including cost-effectiveness and procedural efficiency relative to implant-based joint replacement, is warranted.