Outcomes of the Sauve-Kapandji Procedure in Patients with Advanced Rheumatoid Arthritis

PURPOSE: We evaluated the clinical and radiographic outcomes of the Sauve-Kapandji procedure for the treatment of advanced rheumatoid arthritis. METHODS: Twenty-severn wrists in twenty-two patients were treated for advanced rheumatoid arthritis with Sauve-Kapandji procedure. Patients were evaluated in terms of wrist pain, bony union, instability of the ulnar proximal stump, ulnar stump pain, range of motion and other complications. Pain was evaluated using a visual analog scale. Radiographic evaluation included calculation of the carpal translation index to assess the extent of ulnar translation of the carpus. RESULTS: The average visual analogue scale score improved from 4+/-1.85 preoperatively to 0.78+/-0.91 at the last follow-up (p=0.003). Bone unions in distal radioulnar joint were obtained in all 22 patients, 27 wrists at mean 10.74 weeks (range, 6-28 weeks) after operation. The supination/pronation range of motion was changed from 55/50 degrees preoperatively to 79/73 degrees at postoperative 6 months follow up (p=0.32). The mean carpal translation index did not change after the operation. CONCLUSION: The Sauve-Kapandji procedure is a reliable methods of relieving pain, preserving range of motion (supination/pronation) and preventing ulnar translation of the carpus in managements of the severely destroyed distal radioulnar joints in rhematoid arthritis.

Total Wrist Arthrodesis with the Sauve-Kapandji Procedure in the Rheumatoid Arthritis / 대한정형외과학회잡지

PURPOSE: To evaluate the functional results of total wrist arthrodesis with the Sauve-Kapandji procedure in the rheumatoid arthritis. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The clinical results of twenty wrists of 17 patients who underwent total wrist arthrodesis with the Sauve-Kapandji procedure for the treatment of the rheumatoid arthritis during the period of February 1996 to May 2003 were analyzed. The patients who were observed for more than 12 months postoperatively were chosen as subjects and the mean follow-up period was 42 months (range, 13 to 100 months). At last follow-up, radiological and functional evaluation were done. For the functional evaluation, the standard patient review questions of Weiss et al. and the Buck-Gramcko/Lohmann score were used. RESULTS: The mean time to clinical fusion of the wrist was 6 weeks. The postoperative range of motion is pronation 68degrees, supination 71degrees. The standard patient review questions of Weiss et al. revealed that 17 cases 85%) were satisfied with the functional results of the procedure. 16 cases (80%) wished that the procedure had been done earlier. The standard patient review questions also showed that maximum improvement in function after the procedure required an average of 6 months (range, 1 to 30 months). On a scale of 1 to 10, the mean score of the subjective overall functional evaluation by the patients was 8.25 points range, 5-10 points). The mean Buck-Gramcko/Lohmann score for the objective functional evaluation was 8.7 points (range, 1-10 points) out of 10 points, corresponding to good result. CONCLUSION: For the treatment of the advanced rheumatoid arthritis of wrist involving radio-carpal, midcarpal, and distal radio-ulnar joint, total wrist arthrodesis with the Sauve-Kapandji procedure was a reliable treatment method. These procedures offer satisfactory subjective and objective functions with few complications.