[Results of hand surgery operations in spastic-athetotic paresis]

Between 1974 and 1986 a total of 123 patients with a spastic or spastic athetotic paresis of the upper limb underwent surgery. The interval between surgery and follow-up examination was between one and 13 years. There were 73 cases of hemiparesis and 50 dipareses or tetrapareses due to perinatal cerebral paresis and 35 cases due to a variety of causes. The patients were aged between 6 and 58 years, the majority between 8 and 28 years. All contractures in the arm and hand region were treated at a single sitting. The sole exception to this was surgery for swan-neck deformity of the long fingers. In none of the cases was a wrist arthrodesis indicated. As regards the elimination of the previously existing malpositions, some of which were severe, and the cosmetic outcome, the results were good in all cases. The postoperative reduction was also preserved through the subsequent years, until completion of growth. Also, the difference in growth between flexors and extensors had no detectable negative influence on the long-term results of surgery. Only in a few isolated cases was limited revisional surgery necessary to improve the result as regards extension in the elbow joint and the posture of the wrist joint, which it had not been possible to treat satisfactorily at the first sitting. Two patients with a pronounced athetotic component manifested unsatisfactory results in several respects, or overcorrection of extension in the wrist joint: special caution is called for here. As far as necessary, corresponding corrective surgery was performed simultaneously on the lower limbs.