What can be expected from tendon transfers in the upper limb in central nervous system disorders

Abstract In addition to motor deficits, central nervous system disorders combine major alterations in the motor pattern with spasticity and over time, contractures. Their varied clinical presentation makes their assessment and the therapeutic strategy more complex. For these reasons, tendon transfers in this population will have more limited indications and above all, will have to be integrated into a complex surgical program combining other procedures such as tendon lengthening, selective neurotomies and joint stabilization. The surgical strategy is far from being obvious. When faced with clinical presentations having very different objectives – functional or comfort only – it is difficult at first sight to build a standardized surgical program. We therefore propose a method to evaluate these patients, thanks to a score (INOM) that integrates prognostic factors and parameters to be corrected surgically. Three components guide this program: a prognostic factor (proximal motor control of the shoulder and elbow), correction of abnormal limb postures and restoration of active elbow, wrist and finger extension. The surgical strategy can be constructed from the INOM score which establishes the priorities for care. Nerve blocks and botulinum toxin injections are essential tools for this analysis. They help distinguish between spasticity and contracture, and can unmask certain antagonistic muscles. A tendon transfer in this population will be just as effective by the function it restores as by the action it suppresses in a malpositioned limb. For each joint, we describe the indications for tendon transfers and their relative role among the techniques with which they must be combined.