Tendon transfer for trapezius palsy

The trapezius muscle produces upward scapular rotation that in turn allows complete lateral elevation (abduction) by maintaining the acromiohumeral distance and the deltoideus resting length. Loss of trapezius function leads to shoulder drooping, loss of scapular external rotation with secondary loss of abduction. When conservative treatment has failed and in cases where nerve surgery is not indicated, the most common procedure for treating this condition is the Eden-Lange (EL) procedure. This procedure entails transferring the levator scapulae (LS) to the lateral part of the scapular spine, and the rhomboid major (RM) and minor (Rm) to the infraspinatus fossa to restore the lost trapezius function. Recently, Elhassan et al. proposed a modification of the original EL procedure to recreate the line of pull of the different parts of the trapezius muscle. The modified transfer may yield successful outcomes in patients with trapezius paralysis who failed to improve after well-conducted conservative treatment. Longer follow-up is needed to confirm the stability of the good outcomes of this reconstruction.