Mini-tightrope surgery for basal arthritis?

Promising, untested: The essence of trapeziometacarpal arthroplasty depends upon excision of the trapezium. Simple excision without "suspension" has been shown to do as well as with suspension. I favor a suspension which utilizes a local tendon slip, while the tightrope uses a devise to hold the thumb metacarpal out to length. It is not yet known how long it will hold up and is worth the added cost.

Thumb arthritis: Very common problem. If you HAVE arthritis, this will only buy you time and you will still be in pain. It will not resolve arthritis. I would suggest an interpositional arthroplasty. I have used a cartilage graft vs soft tissue after removal of the damaged joint surfaces. The cartilage graft keep the length of the thumb and eliminates the pain of bone rubbing against bone. 30 yr experience!