Median nerve function after tendon transfer for ulnar paralysis.

This is a long term follow-up study of the median nerves of 128 leprosy patients who originally had pure ulnar palsy for which they had tendon transfers to correct claw hand. Of the thirty-one cases in which the carpal tunnel was not used as a pathway for tendon grafts, 16% developed median palsy in the subsequent years. Of the ninety-seven cases in which tendon grafts were passed through the carpal tunnel, 7% developed a transient median nerve palsy and 11% developed permanent median palsy. None of the median nerve palsies developed during the weeks or months of post-operative re-education or observation, but were noted at follow-up visits months or years later. It is concluded that the use of the carpal tunnel did not significantly affect the status of those high-risk median nerves in cases of leprosy.