Treatment of irreversible lesion of the radial nerve by tendon transfer: indication and long-term results of the Merle d'Aubigné procedure.

Irreversible radial nerve paralysis should be treated by tendon transfer reconstruction to improve wrist and finger extension and stabilization of the thumb joints. Many different techniques and modifications are known and used. A total of 43 patients, all of whom underwent the Merle d'Aubigné procedure, were examined in a long-term follow-up study. Short-term and long-term subjective and objective results were evaluated. The improvement of the motions between initial and follow-up examinations could be demonstrated. Thirty-eight patients were able to return to their former jobs. Interestingly, the majority of the patients were able to move their fingers separately. This finding could be proved by the electromyography and explained by the counteracting flexor tendons. The overall findings indicate that the Merle d'Aubigné procedure is an excellent and reliable tendon transfer method.