A Changing Landscape in the Surgical Management of Wrist Arthritis: An Analysis of National Trends From 2009 to 2019

Purpose The purpose of this study was to analyze the trends in the annual volume and incidence of proximal row carpectomy (PRC), four-corner fusion (4CF), total wrist arthrodesis (TWF), and total wrist arthroplasty (TWA) from 2009 to 2019 in the United States. Methods The IBM Watson Health MarketScan databases were queried to identify annual case volumes for PRC, 4CF, TWF, and TWA from 2009 to 2019. The annual incidence of these procedures was then calculated based on the population estimates from the US Census Bureau. Trends in annual volume and incidence over the study period were evaluated using regression line analysis. Further subgroup analysis was conducted based on age and region. Results From 2009 to 2019, the total case volumes for the four procedures increased by 3.4%, but the incidence decreased by 2.8%. However, PRC case volume and incidence trends significantly increased (38.2% and 29.7%, respectively), whereas 4CF remained constant. Conversely, the case volume and incidence of TWA significantly decreased (-52.2% and -54.5%, respectively), whereas TWF remained constant. When stratified by age, all four procedures decreased in the <45 -year -old cohort (combined -35.1%) significantly for 4CF, TWF, and TWA. TWA decreased significantly in the <45 -year -old and 45- to 65 -year -old cohorts (53.6% and 63.2%, respectively). For age >65 years, the total case incidence increased by 98.9%, including a significant positive trend in TWF (175%). Conclusions Surgical management of wrist arthritis remains a controversial issue. However, PRC has gained recent support in the literature, and our results reflect this shift, even for the <45-year-old cohort. Furthermore, TWA declined, despite reports of positive early outcomes for fourth-generation implants. Copyright (c) 2024 by the American Society for Surgery of the Hand. All rights reserved.) Type of study/level of evidence Therapeutic II.