
Muscle translocation is a surgical technique that involves the transfer of a functional skeletal muscle to another part of the body. This procedure is typically performed to restore motor function to the extremities or the face. Muscle translocation is also used to treat medically refractory FI and Volkmann's ischemic contracture. During the procedure, the nerve is implanted into the muscle substance and secured with a suture. This technique helps protect the nerve ending from repeated trauma and aids in the regeneration of nerve fibers.
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What You'll Learn

Muscle transposition is a surgical technique
One of the most popular techniques in muscle transposition is the implantation of a nerve into the muscle substance, also known as translocation of the neuroma. This technique is particularly useful in the hand, where the digital neuroma is transposed into the web space dorsal to the hand musculature. An absorbable suture is used to secure the nerve to its recipient bed, and there should be no tension in the nerve. The muscle protects the nerve ending from repeated trauma and aids in the regeneration of nerve fibers into the skin.
Muscle transposition can also be performed to restore motor function in the extremities and the face. The gracilis muscle, for example, has been used in surgical procedures to reconstruct motor function. When combined with cross-face nerve grafting, electric stimulation is recommended to help the patient learn to voluntarily contract the muscle. Physiotherapy is crucial after muscle transposition, as the patient must relearn coordinated facial movements to achieve a satisfactory outcome.
While muscle transposition has been a valuable technique in certain surgical contexts, it is now less commonly performed due to the high rate of adverse events and the availability of less invasive treatment options. The procedure is typically only carried out in highly specialized surgical centers. Despite this, muscle transposition continues to be a significant development in the field of reconstructive surgery, offering new possibilities for restoring function and improving patients' quality of life.
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It involves the harvesting of functional skeletal muscle
Muscle transposition is a surgical technique that involves the harvesting of functional skeletal muscle. It is a procedure that was more common in the past but is now rarely used due to the high risk of adverse events and the availability of less invasive treatment options. When it is performed, it is typically only carried out in highly specialised surgical centres.
The surgical technique involves the harvesting of functional skeletal muscle, specifically either the gluteus maximus or gracilis muscle. The harvested muscle is then wrapped around the nonfunctional anal sphincter complex to create a new sphincter in vivo. This procedure is known as graciloplasty and can be performed with or without stimulation. In the unstimulated technique, patients must learn to voluntarily contract the muscle to aid in continence, while the stimulated technique involves the implantation of a neuromodulator to aid in maintaining skeletal muscle tone.
Muscle transposition can also refer to the transposition of a neuroma into surrounding muscle, which is one of the most popular techniques for this procedure. In this technique, a nerve is implanted into the muscle substance and secured with a suture to fix the nerve and ensure its implantation into the muscle belly. It is important that there is no tension in the nerve, as this can cause irritation. The muscle serves to protect the nerve ending from repeated trauma and regeneration of nerve fibres into the skin.
The concept of muscle transplantation and transfer is not new, with early attempts being made over a decade ago to treat patients with Duchenne muscular dystrophy. However, the success of these early attempts was limited. More recently, the successful transplantation of the rectus femoris muscle to the forelimb in a canine model was reported in 1970, and in 1973, the first successful clinical application of functioning muscle transplantation was performed in a patient with Volkmann's ischemic contracture.
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The nerve is implanted into the muscle substance
Muscle transposition is a surgical technique that was used more commonly in the past for medically refractory FI. It is rarely used now because of the high rate of adverse events associated with the procedure and the availability of other less invasive but equally effective treatment options. This technique is now typically only performed at highly specialized surgical centers. It involves the surgical harvesting of functional skeletal muscle with either the gluteus maximus or gracilis muscle, which is then wrapped around the nonfunctional anal sphincter complex to create a new sphincter in vivo.
Transposition of the neuroma into surrounding muscle is one of the most popular techniques. For muscle transposition, the nerve is implanted into the muscle substance. A suture is used to fix the nerve to secure its implantation into the muscle belly. There should be no tension in the nerve. The muscle serves to protect the nerve ending from repeated trauma and regeneration of nerve fibers into the skin.
Studies in a primate model showed that the neuromas formed when the nerve is implanted into a muscle belly were different from the classical neuroma. Histologically, unlike the traditional neuroma, the neuromas formed when the nerve is buried in muscle contained less connective tissue. Transposing symptomatic neuroma into adjacent subcutaneous tissue is useful, especially in the hand. Subcutaneous transposition of the neuroma is superior to implanting the neuroma into the muscle of the hand because local muscular contraction during grip often causes irritation to the neuroma.
The digital neuroma is often transposed into the web space dorsal to the hand musculature. An absorbable suture is placed through the epineurium of the cut nerve or the capsule of the neuroma. The knot is tied 3-4 mm distal to the nerve fascicles to prevent the nerve ending from directly abutting the recipient bed. The nerve is then tunneled into the adjacent subcutaneous tissue.
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Muscle transposition is used to treat medically refractory FI
Muscle transposition is a surgical technique that was used more commonly in the past for medically refractory FI. However, due to a high rate of adverse events and the availability of less invasive treatment options, it is now rarely performed except in highly specialized surgical centres.
The procedure involves the surgical harvesting of functional skeletal muscle, typically either the gluteus maximus or gracilis muscle. This muscle is then wrapped around the nonfunctional anal sphincter complex to create a new sphincter in vivo. This technique is known as graciloplasty and can be performed using either an unstimulated (adynamic) or stimulated (dynamic) approach. The unstimulated technique requires patients to voluntarily contract the muscle to aid in continence, while the stimulated technique involves the implantation of a neuromodulator to maintain tonic contraction of the skeletal muscles, resulting in superior outcomes.
Muscle transposition can also be used to treat muscle paralysis or near-paralysis, such as in the case of rectus muscle paralysis or sixth nerve palsy. The goal of transposition surgery in these cases is to realign the deviating eye and achieve single vision for patients with diplopia. While the results of transposition surgery are often good, they may not be perfect. To enhance the outcome, the antagonist muscle of the paralyzed muscle can be weakened through recession or injection of botulinum toxin.
In addition, contiguous regional muscle transposition is recommended for dynamic restoration in cases of partial, complete, or bilateral facial paralysis. The temporalis muscle is the most commonly used muscle for reanimating permanent irreversible paralysis.
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Muscle transplantation is used for facial paralysis
Muscle transplantation is a surgical procedure used to treat facial paralysis. It involves the transplantation of a small functional muscle, typically the gracilis muscle from the inner thigh, under the cheek skin. This procedure can be performed on patients from 5 to 75 years old and is considered the gold standard for reconstruction in cases of chronic facial paralysis.
During the surgery, the gracilis muscle is carefully removed, along with its nerve and blood vessel supply. The nerve is then reconnected to the masseteric nerve in the face or neck, allowing the patient to smile when they bite down. This new movement requires retraining and rehabilitation. Alternatively, the gracilis muscle can be connected to a nerve graft from the leg, known as the sural nerve.
The pectoralis minor muscle is another option for muscle transplantation, although the surgical approach is more complex. This muscle has proven to be a functionally high-quality muscle flap and provides a more natural vector for controlling the lifting of the corner of the mouth. In cases where there is a significant volume deficit in the face, such as after tumour resection, the latissimus dorsi muscle from the back may be transplanted.
Free-muscle transplantation enables reconstructive surgeons to restore facial movement and emotional animation in patients with facial paralysis. It is particularly effective in chronic paralysis after the complete loss of mimetic musculature. The procedure has been performed successfully on a range of patients, with noticeable facial movement typically taking about six months to show and strengthening over the first year.
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Frequently asked questions
Muscle translocation is a surgical technique that involves the transfer of a functioning muscle to a new site in the body.
Muscle transplantation involves the transfer of a muscle graft to a new site in the body, where it can be controlled by the patient through active muscle training and electric stimulation. Muscle translocation, on the other hand, involves the transfer of a functioning muscle to a new site, where it is revascularized and made to contract or function.
Muscle translocation is considered a relatively invasive procedure with a high rate of adverse events. Some of the risks include surgical site infection, rectal pain, rectal injury, and device erosion.
















