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Taking people in FinlandNo phase

Efficacy of Trapeziectomy Versus Sham Surgery in the Treatment of Osteoarthritis at the Base of the Thumb

Key facts

Who runs it
Tampere University Hospital
Where
Helsinki, Jyväskylä, Kuopio, and Tampere, FinlandSee the 4 sites
Trial code
Status
Recruiting
People taking part
132 people, planned
Started
20 Jan 2022
Expected to end
31 Mar 2033
Type of study
Interventional, 3 groupsOne group gets a placebo (a dummy treatment), for comparison.
Treatments tested
  • Trapeziectomy
  • Sham
Record updated
2 November 2026

Who can take part

Age
45 years and older
Sex
Women and men
Healthy volunteers
Cannot take part

The registry criteria, word for word

Show all 16 criteriaShow less

Who can take part

  • Primary thumb basal joint (CMC1) osteoarthritis (Eaton Glickel grade 2 or higher) confirmed by standard x-rays and with symptoms limiting activities of daily living
  • Indication for surgical treatment of thumb basal joint (CMC1) osteoarthritis after insufficient benefit from non-operative treatment, including use of a thumb orthosis and pain medication (NSAIDs or paracetamol, implemented for at least three months
  • Thumb pain in use of at least 4 on a 0 to10 numerical rating scale (NRS, 10=worst pain)
  • Age > 45 years
  • ASA-classification I-II (American Society for Anesthesiologist's Physical Status Classification System)
  • Ability to speak, understand and read in the language of the clinical site
  • Provision of informed consent from the participant
  • Shared decision to proceed with surgical treatment of CMC-1 OA

Who cannot take part

  • Patients' main complaint is due to some other problem than primary thumb basal joint (CMC1) osteoarthritis or patient will undergo any other surgery in conjunction with trapeziectomy
  • <6 months from other surgical procedure of the upper extremities
  • Previous operation due tothumb basal joint (CMC1) osteoarthritis for either side
  • Neurologic condition affecting the function or symptoms of the upper extremity
  • Rheumatoid arthritis or other inflammatory joint disease
  • Bilateral thumb basal joint (CMC1) osteoarthritis in which patient requests treatment for both sides
  • >45 degrees of hyperextension in the thumb MP joint in resting position (zig zag deformity)
  • Patient is unable to continue his/her current job due to thumb pain

Where in Finland

  • Helsinki University Central HospitalHelsinki, FinlandContact: Susanna Stjernberg-Salmela, MD, PhDTaking people
  • Central Finland Hospital NovaJyväskylä, FinlandContact: Olli-Pekka Kangasniemi, MDTaking people
  • Kuopio University Central HospitalKuopio, FinlandContact: Matti Juntunen, MDTaking people
  • Tampere University HospitalTampere, FinlandContact: Jarkko JokihaaraTaking people

About the trial

What the trial wants to find out

A multi-center randomized placebo-controlled clinical trial which determines the efficacy of trapeziectomy in patients with persistent painful osteoarthritis at the base of the thumb. The primary outcome is patient reported evaluation of pain and function of the wrist and hand at 6 months after the randomization to treatment group.

The 3 groups in the trial

  • TrapeziectomyTreatment being tested
  • Placebo surgeryPlacebo, for comparison

    Treatment: Sham

  • Non-randomized observational armOther group

    Non-randomized observational arm (trapeziectomy, not blinded)

    Treatment: Trapeziectomy

Questions to ask the study team

  1. How often do I need to come in, and for how long each time?
  2. Are travel costs paid?
  3. Can I keep my own doctor?
  4. What happens if I want to stop?

Contact the study team: see the registry record → Contacts and Locations

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Data and sources

Registry record
Listed on ClinicalTrials.gov.
Official title
A Multi-center, Investigator-blinded, Randomized, Parallel Group, Superiority Study to Compare the Efficacy of Trapeziectomy Versus Sham Surgery in the Treatment of Osteoarthritis at the Base of the Thumb
Record updated
2 November 2026