Repair of ruptured spinal nerve roots in a brachial plexus lesion. Case report.
A 22-year-old woman sustained a brachial plexus injury with supraganglionic rupture of the C-8 and T-1 nerve roots as a result of a traffic accident. She was operated on approximately 1 week following the accident. After a hemilaminectomy, the intradural defects in the ruptured roots were bridged with sural nerve grafts. Within 3 years she recovered function in all muscles supplied from the lower roots in the plexus except for the intrinsic hand muscles, but she had a persisting, complete sensory loss in the ulnar nerve distribution. The possibility for functional gain after repair of spinal root lesions in brachial plexus patients is discussed.
Carlstedt
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T
Department of Orthopaedics, Karolinska Hospital, Stockholm, Sweden.
Norén
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D000328:Adult; D001917:Brachial Plexus / Q000293:injuries* / Q000601:surgery; D004576:Electromyography; D005260:Female; D006225:Hand / Q000503:physiopathology; D006801:Humans; D007796:Laminectomy; D012421:Rupture; D013126:Spinal Nerve Roots / Q000293:injuries / Q000601:surgery*; D013497:Sural Nerve / Q000637:transplantation*; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D014953:Wrist / Q000503:physiopathology