Tendon transfers in patients with cervical spinal cord injury.

Between 1983 and 1988, 32 patients with cervical spinal cord injuries underwent 124 upper limb tendon transfers during 85 procedures. Of the numerous surgical procedures that have been recommended for treatment of this condition, my experience indicates that the most successful are posterior deltoid-to-triceps transfer, restoration of finger flexion, and restoration of thumb opposition. Longitudinal incisions prove to be quite cosmetic.