ABSTRACT
Median nerve palsy, though not a frequent occurrence after claw finger correction, does exist as a post-operative complication after claw finger correction. A retrospective study was carried out to examine the occurrence of post-operative median palsy, in cases of isolated ulnar palsy, where the transferred motor tendon was routed through the carpal tunnel. We noted that six patients developed median nerve palsy following claw finger correction. Median palsy developed at different times after surgery--the "early onset" type developing within three weeks post-operatively, "reactional" type developed when patient was undergoing physiotherapy exercises and learning to use the transfer and "delayed insidious" type presenting six months or more after operation. We could not succeed to get the true prevalence of such occurrences because all the operated hands could not be re-examined.
Subject(s)
Adolescent , Adult , Female , Finger Joint/surgery , Hand Deformities, Acquired/etiology , Humans , Leprosy/complications , Male , Median Neuropathy/etiology , Orthopedic Procedures/adverse effects , Paralysis/etiology , Retrospective Studies , Tendon Transfer/adverse effectsABSTRACT
From 1977 to 1988, 166 patients with median nerve paralysis of varied aetiology underwent opponensplasty. In 50 of these the extensor indicis was used, and in 116 the flexor digitorum superficialis of the ring finger. An analysis of these hands showed that the EI opponensplasty was best in supple hands and FDS opponensplasty was more suitable for less pliable hands. There were fewer complications seen after FDS opponensplasty if the detachment of the donor tendon was done through a volar oblique incision rather than the conventional lateral incision.