Sastré GH, Sastré ON

Language: Spanish
References: 17
Page: 41-47
PDF size: 550.90 Kb.

ABSTRACT

Radial palsy is divided in high palsy and low palsy depending on the level of the injury. In high palsy, the wrist is flexed, and so are the fingers at the level of the metacarpophalangeal joints; there is inability to extend and abduct the thumb. In low palsy, all of these problems are present, with the exception of the wrist flexion. Tendon transfer is a reconstructive procedure that restores motion or balance to a hand with impaired function. It is based in the transfer of a functional tendon and its reattachment to another nonfunctioning tendon to substitute its action. There have been many transfers in radial palsy, but for wrist extension the use of pronator teres into the carpi radialis brevis is universally accepted. For restoring finger extension and thumb extension/abduction, we use the flexor carpi radialis for all the finger extensors, and the palmaris longus for the extensor pollicis longus, redirected toward the abductor pollicis longus. We present critical review of tendon transfers for radial palsy and representative cases.

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