Diagnosis and management of adult BPI: Results of first 50 cases

Abstract

IntroductionCommonest cause of brachial plexus injury in adults is traction injury sustained in motorcycle accidents. This article reports the results of first 50 cases done in a tertiary referral center with a brief review of literature. Material and methodsFirst 50 patients (46 male; 4 female, age from 12 to 45 years) with post traumatic brachial plexus palsy were included. There were 30 upper plexus and 20 pan plexus injuries, 27 had preganglionic and 23 postganglionic injury. Neurolysis was done in 19 patients and various combination of nerve transfer in 31. Mean follow-up period was 13.98 months. Results– Over all shoulder abduction was good in 10 patients, fair in 32 and poor in 8. Elbow flexion was good in 19 patients, fair in 18 and poor in 13 patients. ConclusionThe upper plexus and partial injuries have a good outcome in a majority of cases, while the results in global palsy are far from satisfactory.