Radialization as a new treatment for radial club hand.

"Radialization," a new technique for operative treatment of the radial club hand, is presented. It has been successfully used in 30 hands (23 patients) since 1979. It is named "radialization" because after all fibrotic tissues are excised, the hand and radial carpal bones are placed over the distal end of the ulna; the hand is fixed with a Kirschner wire in a position of moderate ulnar deviation. Usually, no carpal bones need to be removed. The improved mechanical forces are further stabilized by transposition of the radial wrist extensor and flexor to the ulnar side; this favors a better muscle balance. The optimal age for surgery is between 6 and 12 months.