A procedure has been devised for treatment of the inability to extend
the elbow due to either a fixed contracture of the flexor muscles or
increased involuntary flexor-muscle tone and spasticity. The operation
consists of lengthening all of the primary elbow-flexor muscles. It has
been used successfully in thirty-two elbows of twenty-six children with
cerebral palsy who were followed for an average of four years (range, two
through six years). The average gain in extension was 40 degrees, and there
was no loss of the patient's ability to flex the elbow or supinate the
forearm. No vascular or neural complications were encountered. Independence
in feeding was achieved in four patients. Seven patient acquired the
ability to engage in sports and six, who previously had been unable to walk
independently due to inability to handle crutches, could do so following
this procedure.