Peripheral nerve transfers, either in conjunction with or in place of traditional tendon transfers, expand the surgical options for individualized upper-extremity reconstruction in patients with tetraplegia.
May guide individualized tetraplegia reconstruction; leaves open need for prospective comparative trials.
Management of tetraplegia should be individualized to a patient's particular deficiencies and functional goals. Surgical decision-making for upper-extremity reconstruction in patients with tetraplegia relies on a thorough physical examination to determine which nerves and muscles remain under volitional control with adequate strength for transfer. Peripheral nerve transfers, either in conjunction with or in place of traditional tendon transfers, enable providers to offer an expanded set of surgical options for patients with tetraplegia who are seeking upper-extremity reconstruction. All upper-extremity reconstructive efforts should be carefully considered with regard to their potential effects on the availability of future reconstructive efforts.
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Cantwell et al. (2020) studied this question.
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