Foreign Body Reaction Associated With Artelon: Report of Three Cases

The Artelon carpometacarpal joint implant is a degradable interposition arthroplasty spacer intended for use in thumb carpometacarpal joint osteoarthritis. Recently there have been reported cases of foreign body reaction attributed to the Artelon implant, which raise concerns about the use of this implant. The implant's manufacturers claim excellent biocompatibility. We report 3 cases of persistent pain after thumb carpometacarpal joint arthroplasty performed using Artelon implants. In all 3 cases that required removal of the Artelon implant and trapeziectomy to achieve subsequent symptom relief, foreign body-type reaction associated with the Artelon was seen histologically.