Eaton–Littler classification

Radiographic staging of thumb-base osteoarthritis from stage I to stage IV; the Eaton–Glickel version adds involvement of the scaphotrapeziotrapezoid joint. It is widely used for description and in examinations, but agreement between observers is only poor to moderate, worst for stages II and III, and the stage correlates loosely with symptoms.

Related terms

• Condition

  Thumb-base arthritis

  Wear of the cartilage in the saddle-shaped joint between the trapezium and the base of the thumb metacarpal. The commonest site of hand arthritis after the fingertip joints, more frequent in women and with age; it causes pain at the base of the thumb on pinching and gripping, and in late stages a zigzag deformity. X-ray severity correlates poorly with symptoms.

• Anatomy

  Scaphotrapeziotrapezoid joint

  The joint between the scaphoid and the trapezium and trapezoid, immediately proximal to the thumb-base joint. Arthritis here, alone or with the trapeziometacarpal joint (pantrapezial arthritis), has traditionally favoured trapeziectomy, which removes the trapezium from both joints; recent series report good results of joint replacement in selected thumbs.

Articles mentioning this term

1. FESSH preparation · 2 October 2026

   Thumb-base osteoarthritis: trapeziectomy versus arthroplasty

   Trapeziectomy versus joint replacement for thumb-base osteoarthritis: ligament anatomy, Eaton staging, the randomised trials, implant survival and salvage.

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