title: Restoration of strong grasp and lateral pinch in tetraplegia: a comparison of two methods of thumb control in each patient.
abstract: Six patients with spinal cord injury who ranged in age from 25 to 42 years were selected for surgery that used a tendon transfer for opposition-adduction of one thumb and arthrodesis of the carpometacarpal joint of the other in each patient. At follow-up 2 to 6 years later, the hands with the opponens-adductorplasty had a slightly stronger lateral pinch (3.75 kg versus 3.31 kg), but the hands with the carpometacarpal arthrodesis had a somewhat stronger grasp (7.42 kg versus 6.86 kg). The patients did not exhibit a consistent preference for either method, but rather, were particularly pleased that their hands had been reconstructed differently, thereby allowing each to be somewhat "specialized" for certain activities.
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001174:Arthrodesis; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006225:Hand / Q000601:surgery*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D011782:Quadriplegia / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000601:surgery*; D013709:Tendon Transfer; D013710:Tendons / Q000601:surgery; D013933:Thumb / Q000503:physiopathology; D013997:Time Factors