Pronator teres nerve branch transfer to the extensor carpi radialis brevis nerve branch for wrist extension reconstruction in proximal radial nerve injury following humeral shaft fractures.

BACKGROUND

Tendon and nerve transfers are used for functional reconstruction in cases of proximal radial nerve injury complicated by humeral fractures in patients who do not show functional recovery after primary nerve repair. The effectiveness of pronator teres (PT) nerve branch transfer to the extensor carpi radialis brevis (ERCB) nerve branch for wrist extension reconstruction was investigated and compared to the results of tendon transfer.

METHODS

This study included 10 patients with proximal radial nerve injury, who did not show functional recovery after primary nerve repair at our hospital between April 2016 and May 2019. The nerve transfer procedure included PT nerve branch transfer to the ECRB nerve branch to restore wrist extension and the flexor carpi radialis (FCR) nerve branch to the posterior interosseous nerve (PIN) to restore thumb and finger extension. Tendon transfer procedures included PT transfer to the ECRB for wrist extension, FCR transfer to the extensor digitorum communis (EDC) for finger extension and palmaris longus (PL) transfer to the extensor pollicis longus (EPL) for thumb extension.

RESULTS

Five patients recovered Medical Research Council grade M4 muscle strength in the ECRB and EPL in both tendon and nerve groups. Two patients recovered grade M3 strength and three patients recovered grade M4 strength in the EDC in the tendon transfer group, and all five patients recovered grade M4 strength in the EDC in the nerve transfer group. Limited wrist flexion was observed only in one patient in the tendon transfer group.

CONCLUSION

PT nerve branch transfer to the ECRB nerve branch combined with FCR nerve branch transfer to PIN is a useful strategy for wrist and fingers extension reconstruction in patients with proximal radial nerve injuries.