Background: Cervical spinal cord injuries result in a severe loss of function and independence. The primary goal for these patients is the restoration of hand function. Nerve transfers have recently become a powerful intervention to restore the ability to grasp and release objects. The supinator muscle, although a suboptimal tendon transfer donor, serves as an ideal distal nerve donor for reconstructive strategies of the hand. This transfer is also applicable to lower brachial plexus injuries.
Objective: To describe the supinator to posterior interosseous nerve transfer with the goal of restoring finger extension following spinal cord or lower brachial plexus injury.
Methods: Nerve branches to the supinator muscle are transferred to the posterior interosseous nerve supplying the finger extensor muscles in the forearm.
Results: The supinator to posterior interosseous nerve transfer is effective in restoring finger extension following spinal cord or lower brachial plexus injury.
Conclusion: This procedure represents an optimal nerve transfer as the donor nerve is adjacent to the target nerve and its associated muscles. The supinator muscle is innervated by the C5-6 nerve roots and is often available in cases of cervical SCI and injuries of the lower brachial plexus. Additionally, supination function is retained by supination action of the biceps muscle.
Keywords: Brachial plexus injury; Nerve transfer; Paralysis; Spinal cord injury; Tetraplegia.
© Congress of Neurological Surgeons 2021.