Direct nerve crossing with the intercostal nerve to treat avulsion injuries of the brachial plexus.
One hundred seventy-nine patients with root avulsion brachial plexus injuries were treated with direct nerve crossing with the intercostal nerve and 159 cases were followed more than 1 1/2 years after the operation. When suture was done to the musculocutaneous nerve, 90% of 10 children who had operation within 7 months of injury and 81.8% of 110 adults, younger than 40 years with operation within 6 months of injury regained grade 3 or 4 elbow flexion power. This direct method seems to produce better results than those of nerve crossing, which uses intermediary nerve grafts.
Nagano
A
A
Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Faculty of Medicine, University of Tokyo, Japan.
Tsuyama
N
N
Ochiai
N
N
Hara
T
T
Takahashi
M
M
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D001917:Brachial Plexus / Q000293:injuries* / Q000601:surgery; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D004550:Elbow / Q000294:innervation / Q000502:physiology; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D009138:Musculocutaneous Nerve / Q000601:surgery*; D012119:Respiration; D013900:Thoracic Nerves / Q000637:transplantation*