title: Duchenne-Erb palsy. Experience with direct surgery.
abstract: Between 1973 and 1984, 31 direct explorations of traumatic Duchenne-Erb palsy (C5 and C6) were performed in two hospitals. Simple neurolysis was performed in 12 cases, in which C5 and C6 were found to be in continuity; the operation resulted in useful motor function in nine of the 12 cases. A cause-and-effect relationship of neurolysis to the recovery of function was difficult to prove. In five cases where only one root was completely damaged, four nerve graftings produced useful motor results but the function of one graft was not demonstrable when the other root was in continuity. In 14 cases of complete lesions of both C5 and C6 treated by nerve grafting, there were seven functional motor results that were attributable to the grafts. Both the overall results and the result of elbow flexion were statistically correlated with the number of grafts used to repair the corresponding nerve structure (p less than 0.01). Favorable results were not obtained when the graft had been delayed for more than nine months. All of the patients who had nerve grafts within five months had favorable results.
authors.affiliation: Orthopedic Surgery Unit, Hôpital Edouard-Herriot, Lyon, France.
authors.forename: J J
authors.initials: JJ
authors.lastname: Comtet
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Sedel
authors.forename: J F
authors.initials: JF
authors.lastname: Fredenucci
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Herzberg
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001917:Brachial Plexus / Q000293:injuries* / Q000601:surgery; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008866:Microsurgery / Q000379:methods; D008875:Middle Aged; D009493:Neurosurgery / Q000379:methods; D010243:Paralysis / Q000601:surgery*; D013127:Spinal Nerves / Q000637:transplantation