soft tissue abnormalities
Last reviewed 01/2018
Soft tissue abnormalities in congenital radial aplasia depend on the degree of severity of the anomaly. However, typical clinical features can include:
- increasing stiffuness of digits, from ulnar to radial side of the hand
- skin deficiency on radial side of hand with relative excess on ulnar side
- hypoplastic, absent or fused musculotendinous units; extensors are mainly affected:
- extensor carpi radialis longus and brevis
- brachioradialis
- abductor pollicis longus
- extensor pollicis longus and brevis
- extensor digitorum communis
- flexor pollicis longus
- flexor carpi radialis
- absent radial artery
- nerve abnormalities:
- absent radial or musculocutaneous nerves
- median nerve innervates areas normally supplied by radial and musculocutaneous nerves; a median nerve branch that has replaced the superficial branch of the radial nerve can make release of radial soft tissue more difficult due to its anomalous and superficial course