Of 162 metacarpophalangeal silicone prostheses inserted from 1967 to
1973, fifteen fractured, two were associated with an infection, and there
was one case of skin necrosis. A recurrence of ulnar drift occurred in four
hands. Three prostheses had to be removed and in one such case additional
significant foreign-body reaction was evident. Although the complication
rate was over 10 per cent, the failure rate was fairly low.