Distal radius fractures are common, particularly in post-menopausal women. Several factors have been identified such as osteopenia and an increased risk of falling. We hypothesised that increased soft tissue padding from muscle and fat in the volar hand may confer an element of protection against fractures more in men than women and more in younger than older patients. The aim of the study was to assess for thenar and hypothenar thickness and assess whether it varies between sexes and changes with age. We retrospectively evaluated hand MRI scans performed for non-acute conditions in adults without previous injury or surgery. Using the Patient Archiving and Communication System (PACS) we measured the distance (mm) from the volar surface of the
Background. Carpometacarpal osteoarthritis is a degenerative disease of the hand that causes pain, stiffness and weakness. Currently, no drugs are available to prevent progression or cure this disease. Ultimately, the last treatment option is the surgical removal of the
We performed a systematic review to compare outcomes of cemented versus uncemented trapezio-metacarpal joint (TMCJ) replacement for treatment of base-of-thumb arthritis. We assessed improvements in pain and function, range of movement (ROM), strength, complications and need for revision surgery. A thorough literature search was performed. A total of 481 studies were identified from the literature search (179 Medline, 253 Embase, 27 CINAHL, 22 Cochrane). Of 43 relevant titles 28 were selected for full-text review after assessment of the abstracts. Duplicate studies were removed. 18 studies met inclusion criteria on full-text review. All studies were of level IV evidence. There were no randomised controlled trials or meta-analyses. The studies were critically appraised using a validated scoring system. Most studies reported good outcomes for pain and strength, and functional outcome was comparable for both groups. ROM was generally improved for both prosthetic types, however statistical calculation was lacking in many studies. Trapezial component loosening was the main problem for both cemented and uncemented prostheses, however radiological loosening did not necessarily correlate with implant failure. This systematic review has found that both cemented and uncemented replacements generally give good outcomes for the treatment of TMCJ arthritis, however young, male, patients with manual occupations and with disease in the dominant hand and patients with poor