Surgery for brachial plexus injuries

Brachial plexus injuries.

Injuries to the brachial plexus are common and are the most severe of all lesions of peripheral nerves, but the last 25 years have seen considerable advances in treatment. Much of this improvement followed the restatement of surgical principles regarding the treatment of wounds, and the application of methods of diagnosis and techniques of nerve repair which had been established much earlier. I...

Infraclavicular Brachial Plexus Injuries.

Brachial plexus injuries complicating video-assisted thoracic surgery.

OBJECTIVE Video-assisted thoracic surgery (VATS) is a less-invasive alternative to open thoracotomy. According to evidence-based medicine methodology, VATS is associated with better outcomes and the same complication rate as open thoracotomy. CASE DESCRIPTION Two women (19 and 21 years old) underwent VATS for treatment of pneumothorax. In an attempt to perform hemostasis, the subclavian arter...

Adult traumatic brachial plexus injuries.

Adult traumatic brachial plexus injuries are devastating, and they are occurring with increasing frequency. Patient evaluation consists of a focused assessment of upper extremity sensory and motor function, radiologic studies, and, most important, preoperative and intraoperative electrodiagnostic studies. The critical concepts in surgical treatment are patient selection as well as the timing an...

Management of brachial plexus injuries.

Most brachial plexus lesions are traction injuries sustained during birth, but in adolescents and older people they are usually caused by traffic accidents or following a fall in the home. A minority are the result of penetrating injury after civilian assault or trauma encountered during wartime. Birth palsy cases (obstetric brachial plexus palsy) and the remaining cases (traumatic briachial pl...