Thumb Disability Examination (TDX) as a New Reliable Tool for Basal Joint Arthritis

• Published in: Journal of wrist surgery 2020-06, Vol.9 (3), p.209-213
• Main Authors: Bäcker, Henrik C., Freibott, Christina E., Rizzo, Marco, Lee, Donald H., Glickel, Steven Z., Strauch, Robert J., Rosenwasser, Melvin P.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Scientific; Scientific Article
• ISSN: 2163-3916; 2163-3924
• DOI: 10.1055/s-0040-1701510

Abstract Background  The general assessment of basal joint arthritis (BJA) is limited using the Disabilities of the Arm, Shoulder, and Hand (DASH) questionnaire. This has been shown to be insensitive to pain and disability levels, leading to the development and validation of the thumb disability examination (TDX) as a specific tool for BJA in 2014. Objective  The goal of this study was to evaluate the reliability, sensitivity, and specificity of the TDX score for BJA. Methods  A multicenter BJA database was established in 2007 to collect prospective data. We evaluated the correlation between the TDX score, visual analog pain scale with activity (A-VAS), Eaton–Littler score, and grip strength using a Pearson test. Additionally, we evaluated the pre- and postintervention scores to assess their predictive values. Results  A total of 109 thumbs of 74 patients with TDX scores were evaluated. Females were more commonly affected (75.2%), and the mean age was 65.39 years (standard deviation: 10.04). The majority of participants were white (90.8%). A high correlation between TDX and A-VAS score (Pearson's correlation = 0.520; p