An East Tennessee surgeon has performed the first prosthetic thumb surgery in the region, which he says will revolutionize treatment for thumb arthritis.
The procedure has been the gold standard in Europe for more than a decade, but was just approved by the FDA for the U.S. last summer. Dr. Benjamin Rogozinski was selected among approximately 100 surgeons to learn the technique first.
He has performed the surgery with great results, and patient Tammy Hall is ready to schedule thumb number 2.
Estimates indicate that about 15 percent of adults over age 30 and two-thirds of women over the age of 55 suffer from thumb carpometacarpal (CMC) osteoarthritis, a condition where cartilage at the base of the thumb wears away.
Now that this is approved, the procedure is covered by most insurance plans.
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