Abstract
Tardy paralysis of the ulnar nerve is a chronic affection caused by a variety of pathologic processes in the region of the elbow.
Three cases of this disease were reported here, in view of its frequent occurrence in adult or elderly life. In two cases, 62-year-old man and 52-year-old woman, old fracture of the humerus was the causative factor, while in one case, 65-year- old woman, paralysis was caused by multiple cartilagenous exostoses around the elbow. In all of the cases, the intervals between the injuries and the onset of the symptoms were more than forty years. One of the characteristic feature of this condition is a profound atrophy of intrinsic muscles of the hand with relatively little or late impairment of sensation. Several diseases such as cervical myelopathy, hypothenar neural atrophy, or motor neuron diseases should be differentiated from this condition. Early diagnosis is necessary because of the gratifying results of adequate surgical treatment in the early stage.
