I am on a professional leave from the UK from April 2024 and unable to handle patients queries. If you need any advice, please feel free to consult one of my Plastic Surgery or Orthopaedics colleagues at Parkside, Spire St Anthony’s, Ashtead or King Edward Hospitals. Details of my new overseas practice will be posted shortly.

Our department recently commenced a prospective audit on use of two component carpo-metacarpal prosthesis, in management of thumb basal joint arthrosis. Thumb osteoarthritis is a common condition and many patients are in need of surgical input in order to alleviate disability. Immediate and 6 months post surgery results presented below, are encouraging, but monitoring continues.

Metacarpal fractures account for 40% of all hand injuries and up to 44% of all hand fractures. While we are still collecting and processed data, preliminary results are suggesting that splint is neither needed, nor beneficial for patients who have undergone uncomplicated, rigid, internal fixation of metacarpal fractures.

In my practice, interposition arthroplasty using pyrocarbon implants still represents a useful and reliable treatment option in the surgical treatment of early thumb basal joint arthritis.