ABSTRACT

In cases of severe muscle paralysis or destruction there are often few surrounding muscles left for tendon transfers. These are the most common indications for microsurgical muscle transplantations. Muscle transfers have been used for a long time for the coverage of large or infected defects. Although the addition of function in muscle transfer seems logical, it is not easy as several factors complicate the procedure such as the presence/absence of a good donor nerve and the tension of the muscle belly.