title: Repair of isolated axillary nerve lesions after infraclavicular brachial plexus injuries: case reports.
abstract: Stretch injuries of the infraclavicular brachial plexus have a much better prognosis for spontaneous recovery than do their supraclavicular counterparts. We present three patients with stretch injuries of the infraclavicular brachial plexus who had spontaneous restoration of function in all muscles except the deltoid. Decreased shoulder abduction was a serious handicap to these individuals. At surgical exploration, each patient had an isolated, complete axillary nerve disruption at the quadrilateral space. Deltoid muscle function was restored in all three patients by repair of the axillary nerve with sural nerve grafts across the quadrilateral space.
authors.affiliation: Division of Neurosurgery, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, North Carolina.
authors.forename: A H
authors.initials: AH
authors.lastname: Friedman
authors.forename: J A
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Nunley
authors.forename: J R
authors.initials: JR
authors.lastname: Urbaniak
authors.forename: R D
authors.initials: RD
authors.lastname: Goldner
mesh_terms: D000059:Accidents; D000293:Adolescent; D001917:Brachial Plexus / Q000293:injuries* / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000601:surgery; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009119:Muscle Contraction; D016067:Nerve Transfer; D012782:Shoulder / Q000294:innervation; D000070599:Shoulder Injuries; D013497:Sural Nerve / Q000637:transplantation