Extensor indicis proprius transfer to supplement replacement arthroplasty of the rheumatoid hand

A new procedure is described to cope with the rotation deformity so often seen after replacement arthroplasty of the destroyed metacarpophalangeal joints in rheumatoid arthritis. The same procedure, in combination with a similar transfer to the ring and little fingers, but using extensor digiti minimi as the motor, can be used as a suspension procedure to stabilise the early unstable metacarpophalangeal joint. Thirty hands have been treated with the longest follow-up of two-and-a-half years; so far the results have been encouraging.