Introduction: Osteoarthritis (OA) affects millions of people worldwide. In hand OA, the thumb base is the most affected single joint. The reported radiographic prevalence ranges from 0 to 100%, making the true radiographic prevalence unclear. Hence, we conducted a meta-analysis on the age and sex-specific prevalence of radiographic thumb base OA. Methods: We performed a search in Embase, Medline Ovid, Web of Science Core Collection, Cochrane Central Register of Trials, and Google Scholar. We included studies of the general population that reported thumb base OA for males and females separately based on a hand radiograph and reported the age of these groups. Using meta-regression, we estimated the odds ratio (OR) of having radiographic thumb base OA for age and sex, while adjusting for within-study correlation. Results: The initial search yielded 4,278 articles; we finally included 16 studies that reported the age-and sex-stratified prevalence. Taken together, there were 104 age and gender specific-prevalence rates that could be derived from the 16 studies. The prevalence of radiographic OA for the 50-year-old male and female participants was 5.8% and 7.3%, respectively, while the respective prevalence for 80-year-old male and female participants was 33.1% and 39.0%. We found an OR for having radiographic OA of 1.06 (95%CI [1.055e1.065], p < 0.001) per increasing year of age, and 1.30 (95%CI: 1.05e1.61], p ¼ 0.014) for females. Conclusion: In the general population, radiographic thumb base OA is more prevalent in females and is strongly associated with age.

Background Psychological factors such as depression, pain catastrophizing, kinesiophobia, pain anxiety, and more negative illness perceptions are associated with worse pain and function in patients at the start of treatment for de Quervain’s tenosynovitis. Longitudinal studies have found symptoms of depression and pain catastrophizing at baseline were associated with worse pain after treatment. It is important to study patients opting for surgery for their condition because patients should choose surgical treatment based on their values rather than misconceptions. Psychological factors associated with worse patient-reported outcomes from surgery for de Quervain’s tenosynovitis should be identified and addressed preoperatively so surgeons can correct any misunderstandings about the condition. Question/purpose What preoperative psychosocial factors (depression, anxiety, pain catastrophizing, illness perception, and patient expectations) are associated with pain and function 3 months after surgical treatment of de Quervain’s tenosynovitis after controlling for demographic characteristics? Methods This was a prospective cohort study of 164 patients who underwent surgery for de Quervain’s tenosynovitis between September 2017 and October 2018 performed by 20 hand surgeons at 18 centers. Our database included 326 patients who underwent surgery for de Quervain’s tenosynovitis during the study period. Of these, 62% (201 of 326) completed all baseline questionnaires and 50% (164 of 326) also completed patient-reported outcomes at 3 months postoperatively. We found no difference between those included and those not analyzed in terms of age, sex, duration of symptoms, smoking status, and workload. The mean ± SD age of the patients was 52 ± 14 years, 86% (141 of 164) were women, and the mean duration of symptoms was 13 ± 19 months. Patients completed the Patient-Rated Wrist Evaluation (PRWE), the VAS for pain and function, the Patient Health Questionnaire for symptoms of anxiety and depression, the Pain Catastrophizing Scale, the Credibility/Expectations Questionnaire, and the Brief Illness Perceptions questionnaire at baseline. Patients also completed the PRWE and VAS for pain and function at 3 months postoperatively. We used a hierarchical multivariable linear regression model to investigate the relative contribution of patient demographics and psychosocial factors to the pain and functional outcome at 3 months postoperatively. Results After adjusting for demographic characteristics, psychosocial factors, and baseline PRWE score, we found that only the patient’s expectations of treatment and how long their illness would last were associated with the total PRWE score at 3 months postoperatively. More positive patient expectations of treatment were associated with better patient-reported pain and function at 3 months postoperatively (ß = -2.0; p < 0.01), while more negative patient perceptions of how long their condition would last were associated with worse patient-reported pain and function (timeline ß = 2.7; p < 0.01). The final model accounted for 31% of the variance in the patient-reported outcome at 3 months postoperatively. Conclusion Patient expectations and illness perceptions are associated with patient-reported pain and functional outcomes after surgical decompression for de Quervain’s tenosynovitis. Addressing misconceptions about de Quervain’s tenosynovitis in terms of the consequences for patients and how long their symptoms will last should allow patients to make informed decisions about the treatment that best matches their values. Prospective studies are needed to investigate whether addressing patient expectations and illness perceptions, with decision aids for example, can improve patient-reported pain and function postoperatively in those patients who still choose surgery for de Quervain’s tenosynovitis. Level of Evidence Level III, therapeutic study.

hronic pain of the joints of hand and wrist can be debilitating and lead to significant impairment in daily life. Symptomatic hand and wrist osteoarthritis alone affects approximately 5 percent of all adults worldwide and has a prevalence as high as 20 percent in elderly patients. 1 First-line treatment for chronic hand and wrist joint pain consists of analgesics, hand therapy, splints, corticosteroid injections, or a combination of these techniques. [2][3][4] If these nonoperative measures are insufficient, more rigorous surgical secondline treatments are available such as arthrodesis, resection, or joint replacement. 5,6 All these procedures have a lengthy rehabilitation period and can decrease the range of motion of the affected joints.An elegant intermediate solution can be denervation of the joint. Joint denervation has been described for several joints, starting in 1933 for the hip joint by Tavernier. 7 Wilhelm popularized the joint denervation technique for the hand and wrist. 8 The focus of the treatment lies in the dissection of the articular branches innervating

Objective: To describe outcomes of nonsurgical treatment for symptomatic thumb carpometacarpal joint (CMC-1) instability. Secondary, to evaluate the conversion rate to surgical treatment. Design: Prospective cohort study. Setting: A total of 20 outpatient clinics for hand surgery and hand therapy in the Netherlands. Participants: A consecutive sample of patients with symptomatic CMC-1 instability (NZ431). Intervention: Nonsurgical treatment including exercise therapy and an orthosis. Main Outcome Measures: Pain (visual analog scale [VAS], 0-100) and hand function (Michigan Hand Outcomes Questionnaire [MHQ], 0-100) at baseline, 6 weeks, and 3 months. Conversion to surgery was recorded for all patients with a median follow-up of 2.8 years (range, 0.8-6.7y). Results: VAS scores for pain during the last week, at rest, and during physical load improved with a mean difference at 3 months of 17 (97.5% CI, 9-25), 13 (97.5% CI, 9-18), and 19 (97.5% CI, 12-27), respectively (P<.001). No difference was present at 3 months for MHQ total score, but the subscales activities of daily living, work, pain, and satisfaction improved by 7 (97.5% CI, 1-14), 10 (97.5% CI, 4-16), 5 (97.5% CI, 2-9), and 12 (97.5% CI, 2-22) points, respectively (P<.001-.007). After median follow-up of 2.8 years, only 59 participants (14%) were surgically treated. Both in the subgroups that did and did not convert to surgery, VAS pain scores decreased at 3 months compared with baseline (P<.001-.010), whereas MHQ total score did not improve in both subgroups. However, VAS and MHQ scores remained worse for patients who eventually converted to surgery (P<.001). Conclusions: In this large sample of patients with symptomatic CMC-1 instability, nonsurgical treatment demonstrated clinically relevant improvements in pain and aspects of hand function. Furthermore, after 2.8 years, only 14% of all patients were surgically treated, indicating that nonsurgical treatment is a successful treatment of choice.

To support the global restart of elective surgery, data from an international prospective cohort study of 8492 patients (69 countries) was analysed using artificial intelligence (machine learning techniques) to develop a predictive score for mortality in surgical patients with SARS-CoV-2. We found that patient rather than operation factors were the best predictors and used these to create the COVIDsurg Mortality Score (https://covidsurgrisk.app). Our data demonstrates that it is safe to restart a wide range of surgical services for selected patients.

Routine outcome measurements as a critical prerequisite of value-based healthcare have received considerable attention recently. There has been less attention for the last step in value-based healthcare where measurement of outcomes also leads to improvement in the quality of care. This is probably not without reason, since the last part of the learning cycle: ‘Closing the loop’, seems the hardest to implement. The journey from measuring outcomes to changing daily care can be troublesome. As early adopters of value-based healthcare, we would like to share our 10 years of experience in this journey. Examples of feedback loops are shown based on outcome measurements implemented to improve our daily care process as a focused hand surgery and hand therapy clinic. Feedback loops can be used to improve shared decision making, to monitor or predict treatment progression over time, for extreme value detection, improve journal clubs, and surgeon evaluation. Our goal as surgeons to improve treatment should not stop at the act of implementing routine outcome measurements. We should implement routine analysis and routine feedback loops, because real-time performance feedback can accelerate our learning cycle. Cite this article: EFORT Open Rev 2021;6:439-450. DOI: 10.1302/2058-5241.6.210012

This study aimed to identify factors contributing to the timing of return to work after surgical treatment of trapeziometacarpal joint osteoarthritis and to calculate the costs of lost productivity. We included 627 patients with paid employment who underwent trapeziectomy and ligament reconstruction with tendon interposition. Time to return to work was measured through filling online questionnaires and analysed using survival analysis at 6 weeks and 3, 6 and 12 months after the surgery. Patients also filled in the Michigan Hand Outcomes Questionnaire. Costs of lost productivity were calculated using the human capital method. After 1 year, 78% of the patients returned to work. The median time to return to work was 12 weeks. Factors that significantly affected the time to return to work were occupational intensity (light, moderate or heavy physical labour), whether the dominant hand was treated and the Michigan Hand Outcomes Questionnaire work score and hand function score of the unoperated side at baseline. The costs of lost productivity were estimated at €11,000 on the patient level, resulting in €16.8 million on the Dutch population level per year. Level of evidence: II

Aims Studies on long-term patient-reported outcomes after open surgery for triangular fibrocartilage complex (TFCC) are scarce. Surgeons and patients would benefit from self-reported outcome data on pain, function, complications, and satisfaction after this surgery to enhance shared decision-making. The aim of this study is to determine the long-term outcome of adults who had open surgery for the TFCC. Methods A prospective cohort study that included patients with open surgery for the TFCC between December 2011 and September 2015. In September 2020, we sent these patients an additional follow-up questionnaire, including the Patient-Rated Wrist Evaluation (PRWE), to score satisfaction, complications, pain, and function. Results A total of 113 patients were included in the analysis. At ≥ 60 months after an open TFCC reinsertion, we found a mean PRWE total score of 19 (SD 21), a mean PRWE pain score of 11 (SD 11), and a PRWE function score of 9 (SD 10). The percentage of patients obtaining minimum clinically important difference rose from 77% at 12 months to 83% at more than 60 months (p < 0.001). Patients reported fewer complications than surgeons, and overall complication rate was low. Conclusion Outcomes of patient-reported pain, function scores, and satisfaction are improved five years after open surgery for the TFCC. Cite this article: Bone Jt Open 2021;2(11):981–987.