A Comparative Study on Tendon Transfer Surgery in Patients with Radial Nerve Palsy

BACKGROUND: Lesions in peripheral nerves are highly prevalent in the upper extremity. The present study compares different tendon transfer surgeries in patients with radial nerve palsy. METHODS: Fifty patients with radial nerve palsy were randomly selected among patients who referred to Tehran 15(th) Khordad Hospital during 2006-2011. They were divided into two groups of 17 and 33 subjects. Single tendon transfer surgery was performed on 33 and ternary tendon transfer surgery on 17 patients and were compared. RESULTS: No significant difference was noticed in the range of motion of metacarpophalangeal joint, proximal interphalangeal joint and distal interphalangeal joint joints between the two groups. There was also no significant difference in the results of single tendon and ternary tendon transfer surgeries between the two groups. There was no need to sacrifice three tendons in tendon transfer surgeries on patients with radial nerve palsy. CONCLUSION: Single tendon transfer surgery may help establishing a finger extension while indicates to its considerable advantages of surgical simplicity, shorter surgery time, less complications and surgery scars.