Independent Function in a Split Flexor Carpi Radialis Transfer

Abstract

In a patient requiring tendon transfer after radial nerve palsy, the flexor carpi radialis, a bipennate muscle, was split longitudinally into 2 compartments along the length of the aponeurosis extending proximally from the distal tendon to provide independent finger and thumb extension. This case report shows that the 2 compartments of a bipennate muscle in the forearm may have separate innervation, allowing transfer for independent functions. Copyright © 2004 by the American Society for Surgery of the Hand.