Surgery of the Wrist and of the Hand in Rheumatoid Arthritis at the Time of Biologic Therapy

The advent of biotherapy in the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis has profoundly transformed the development of this autoimmune disease. If treatment is administered early and well tolerated, surgery with dorsal synovectomy and wrist realignment is rarely carried out. However, after 15 years of observation of patients who used biotherapy, it turns out that 50% of them discontinued treatment after 24 months. This decision to stop treatment arises from intolerances, complications and sometimes for economic reasons. For this patient population the reactivation of the disease is often aggressive and particularly destructive to the musculoskeletal system and soft tissues. It is in this context that the surgeon intervenes to restore function and provide comfort. Knowledge of the pathogenesis of deformities of the wrist and digital channels and technical progress ensures the realignment of the wrist and digital channels. The metacarpophalangeal arthroplasties replace these joints in a useful area of mobility. The correction of « goose-neck » deformities must be early. Arthrodesis of the thumb MP is also a successful operation to strengthen the pollici-digital clamp. Most often, these operative procedures are performed under local anesthesia with techniques compatible with early mobilization. Rheumatoid arthritis surgery involves close collaboration with rheumatologists, physiotherapists, occupational therapists and orthotists. Still too few teams are used to working at this level to most effectively address the 300,000 to 600,000 existing rheumatoid arthritis patients in France.