Arthrosis in the peritrapezial joints of the hand

In the present study saddle joints of the thumb and neighboring joints of 100 anatomic specimens are examined with regard to radiological and macroscopic arthrotic alterations. Comparisons of radiological and macroscopic findings demonstrate that early arthrotic articular alterations cannot be diagnosed radiologically. Almost half of the hands examined displayed arthrotic lesions in the saddle joint of the thumb, whereas the trapezoido-scaphoidal and trapezio-scaphoidal joints are each affected in one third. Hands with manifest thumb saddle joint arthrosis are accompanied by arthrotic alterations of the joints between the scaphoid, trapezium and trapezoid in two-thirds of the cases. In the remaining radial intercarpal joints, no macroscopic evidence can be ascertained of arthrotic alterations. Among the processes discussed as causal factors of simultaneous incidence of scaphoidal and carpo-metacarpal arthroses, the architecture of the osseous carpus, the individual expression of the scaphoid bone and poly- or secondary arthrotic processes are important.