Efficacy of Two Ultrasound-guided Intra-articular Injections of Botox® Combined With Custom-made Rigid Splinting in Painful Base-of-thumb Osteoarthritis.

Overview

The main objective of this study will be to compare the effects of 2 intra-articular injections of onabotulinumtoxinA with those of 1 intra-articular injection of onabotulinumtoxinA and 1 of normal saline and those of 2 intra-articular injections of normal saline on base-of-thumb pain at 6 months after the first injection.

The base of the thumb is a frequent location of osteoarthritis. Base-of-thumb osteoarthritis affects middle-aged and older individuals and results in base-of-thumb pain and limitations in hand-specific activities. For the medium and long term, evidence suggests that splinting could reduce pain and improve hand function. For the short term, a combination of conservative treatments is recommended, with small-to-moderate treatment effect. However, use of intra-articular treatments (e.g., glucocorticoids and hyaluronan) for the short and medium term is currently debated. Use of intra-articular botulinum toxin A injection as a pain modulator in joint diseases has recently raised interest. Botulinum toxin A is a neurotoxin produced by Clostridium botulinum that inhibits acetylcholine release into the synaptic cleft in cholinergic nerve terminals. Additionally, treatment with botulinum toxin A showed intrinsic antinociceptive effects in various animal models of joint diseases. In a pilot single-centred randomized controlled trial of 60 participants with painful base-of-thumb osteoarthritis, the investigators compared the effects of a single intra-articular injection of onabotulinumtoxinA (Botox® ) with those of a single intra-articular injection of normal saline on base-of-thumb pain, and found a significant reduction in pain. Several perspectives raised from this pilot study. Like in the treatment of spasticity, repeated courses of intra-articular injections onabotulinumtoxinA may be necessary to obtain sustained analgesic effects over time. A replication of these findings in a multicentred setting, analysis of cost-effectiveness and description of safety at longer term are also needed before the official recommendation of this treatment. In RHIBOT II, the investigators hypothesize that 2 ultrasound-guided intra-articular injections of onabotulinumtoxinA, as an add-on therapy to custom-made rigid splinting, could reduce base-of-thumb pain at 6 months after the first injection.

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Eligibility

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Outcomes

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