Summary The need for skilled surgeons trained in the proper techniques of hand surgery has been emphasized in this survey of the reconstructive procedures used in radial nerve paralysis of the upper extremity. The most useful transfers have been found to be transfers of the pronator teres into the extensor carpi radialis brevis, the flexor carpi ulnaris into the extensor digitorum communis, and the palmaris longus into a rerouted extensor pollicis longus.