title: Twenty-six early operations in brachial birth palsy.
abstract: 26 babies with brachial birth palsy were operated on at the age of 12-275 days (mean 75 days) in paediatric surgical departments of Helsinki (12 cases) and Turku (14 cases) University Central Hospitals during years 1970-1985 using microsurgical techniques. Epineuroraphy was used in 9, interfascicular nerve grafting in 7, neurolysis in 7, and intercostal neurotisation in 3 cases. The functional status of the upper extremity was recorded 1 to 14 years after the operation using a modified Mallet's classification: 6 were good, 17 fair and 3 poor. The outcome after epineuroraphy was similar to interfascicular grafting. One intercostal neurotisation resulted in fair function and 2 in poor, but the result in target function, i.g. in the peripheral neurotised nerve, was good.
authors.affiliation: Department of Paediatric Surgery, Children's Hospital, Turku, Finland.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Alanen
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Ryöppy
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Varho
mesh_terms: D001720:Birth Injuries / Q000601:surgery*; D001917:Brachial Plexus / Q000293:injuries* / Q000601:surgery; D004576:Electromyography; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007367:Intercostal Nerves / Q000601:surgery; D010243:Paralysis / Q000601:surgery*; D013497:Sural Nerve / Q000637:transplantation