An Open Label Trial for Treating Carpometacarpal Osteoarthritis of the Thumb: Pilot Study

Not Applicable

Completed

Brief Summary: The purpose of this study is to find out if hyaluronan, an injectable medication for knee arthritis, also works for arthritis at the base of the thumb. This study will also evaluate how good ultrasound is at visualizing medication in the thumb joint. We are no longer recruiting for this part of the open label trial.

Recruitment & Eligibility

Inclusion Criteria

Radiographic evidence of at least moderate narrowing (joint space < 1mm) or the presence of osteophytes or sclerosis at the Carpometacarpal joint
Patient complaint of unacceptable pain despite modification of activity, a trial of splinting and a therapeutic dose of NSAIDS
If bilateral disease, only the most severely involved hand, (as defined by VAS for pain), will be entered in the study.
Proficiency in English.

Exclusion Criteria

Previous bad injury to the thumb
Previous hand surgery on the study thumb
Known hand comorbidities (i.e. carpal tunnel syndrome, de Quervains Tenosynovitis etc)
Rheumatoid arthritis or lupus
Bleeding problems
Being on blood thinners (except aspirin)
Known allergies to any of the medications being used
Allergies to chicken products
Current use of oral steroids
Cancer that is not cured or in remission
Severe diabetes
A serious infection somewhere else in the subject's body

Arm && Interventions

Group	Intervention	Description
Pilot Study of Hylan G-F 20	Synvisc (hylan G-F20)	32 Subjects have received Synvisc Injections and followed for 6 months.

Primary Outcome Measures

Name	Time	Method
The Disabilities of the Arm, Shoulder and Hand Outcome Measure	26 weeks (6 months)	The DASH Outcome Measure is a 30-item, self-report questionnaire designed to measure physical function and symptoms in people with any of several musculoskeletal disorders of the upper limb. Scores are transformed to a 0-100 scale, with a higher value indicating greater disability. The change in DASH (delta) over those 6 months was recorded.

Secondary Outcome Measures

Name	Time	Method
Visual Analog Scale for Pain	26 weeks (6 months)	The visual analog scale for pain (VAS) is a test requiring a patient to indicate along a line how much pain they are experiencing between 0-100. A score of 100 indicates the maximum possible pain level and a score of 0 indicates no pain. Scores are recorded as whole number integers. The change in VAS (delta) over those 6 months was recorded.