The comparison between surgical outcomes of trapeziectomy versus trapeziectomy with ligament reconstruction (LRTI) is well documented in the literature. We could not find any literature comparing these two procedures from a ‘patient-based outcome scoring’ perspective.

The Patient Outcomes Of Surgery (POS) hand/arm questionnaire was used in order to assess the outcomes of 33 patients (23 Trapeziectomy and 10 LRTI). All surgery was carried out by the same hand surgeon. A telephone questionnaire was performed on each patient. The mean time post surgery was 15 months (range 1 to 27) and 20 months (range 7 to 30) for the Trapeziectomy and LRTI group respectively.

There was statistically significant improvement in both groups for symptoms, physical activities and psychological functioning/cosmetic appearance. The Trapeziectomy alone group scored higher in all groups though this did not show statistical significance. There were statistically significant higher rates of complications in the LRTI group. LRTI surgery increased the tourniquet time by 28 minutes on average. Patient overall satisfaction was higher (85/100) in the trapeziectomy alone group than that of the LRTI group (75/100)

Both trapeziectomy and trapeziectomy with LRTI offer a reliably way of treating arthritis of the carpometacarpal joint. In our study, Trapeziectomy alone resulted in better overall patient satisfaction with lower complication rates and reduced operating time.