Abstract
Brachial plexus injury (BPI) represents a common consequence of road traffic accidents in humans and small animals. In humans, neuropathic pain is a common symptom after BPI. The aim of the study was to describe the clinical signs, the electrodiagnostic findings, the outcome and the quality of life (QoL) of a cohort of dogs and cats with BPI. Clinical records of 40 dogs and 26 cats with BPI were retrospectively reviewed. Specific attention was put on the evaluation of electrodiagnostic findings (35/40 dogs; 14/26 cats) and telephonic interview results (26/40 dogs; 18/26 cats). The most common neurological condition was the inability to bear weight and sensory deficits on the affected limb. Radial and ulnar motor nerve conduction studies (MNCSs) were absent respectively in 47% (radial) and 62% (ulnar) of dogs and 57% (radial) and 57% (ulnar) of cats. The absence of radial (p = 0.003) and ulnar (p = 0.007) MNCSs in dogs and ulnar MNCSs in cats (p = 0.02) was significantly associated to the amputation of the affected limb. The owners described signs of pain/discomfort in 73% of dogs and 56% of cats. This is the first report suggesting that neuropathic pain/discomfort should be adequately considered in order to improve the QoL.
Highlights
The results of this study were presented at the 31st ESVN-ECVN symposium, Copenhagen, Denmark, September 20–22, 2018
Besides the confirmation of findings documented in the veterinary literature, our study reported some new information for this well-known neurologic condition, including the absence of radial and ulnar motor nerve conduction studies (MNCSs) in cats as a negative prognostic indicator for the amputation of the affected limb, the description of previously unreported signs after injury that may be interpreted as an expression of residual pain and/or discomfort and the improvement continuing after several months from the injury in a relevant percentage of cats
Brachial plexus injury (BPI) is a well-known neurological disorder and prognosis depends on the severity of the injuries to the affected nerve roots
Summary
The results of this study were presented at the 31st ESVN-ECVN symposium, Copenhagen, Denmark, September 20–22, 2018 Brachial plexus injury (BPI) represents a quite common clinical entity in humans and small animals, usually as the result of road traffic accidents [1,2,3,4,5,6,7]. The nerve roots are more damaged than the peripheral nerves. This is probably due do their lack of perineurium and the subsequent lower capacity to resist stretch [4,5,6]
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