Early corrective surgery of the wrist and elbow in arthrogryposis multiplex congenita.

An early one-stage corrective surgical procedure for the elbow and wrist of patients suffering from arthrogryposis multiplex congenita is advocated. The procedure involves adequate proximal row carpectomy, tendon transfers to achieve a balanced wrist and a triceps to radius transfer for elbow flexion. Experience with 47 limbs showed that the best results were obtained in children operated on between 3 and 6 months of age.