Magnetic resonance imaging of the shoulder in children with brachial pLexus birth palsy.
Five patients suffering from Erb-Duchenne brachial plexus birth palsy were prospectively studied with MRI. A group of 11 healthy children was used as a control to understand the MRI anatomy of the normal growing glenohumeral joint. A hypoplastic and flattened posterior part of the glenoid fossa and a blunt posterior labrum were found in all patients. Four patients had a blunt anterior labrum and a flattened humeral head. Three patients presented with a posterior subluxation of the humeral head. These results suggest that MRI provides a non-ionising and non-invasive method of demonstrating the early abnormalities of the shoulder associated with obstetrical brachial plexus paralysis, which may prompt orthopaedic correction.
Gudinchet
F
F
Department of Radiology, University Hospital (CHUV), CH-1011 Lausanne, Switzerland.
Maeder
P
P
Oberson
J C
JC
Schnyder
P
P
D001917:Brachial Plexus / Q000293:injuries*; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008297:Male; D010246:Paralysis, Obstetric / Q000175:diagnosis*; D010523:Peripheral Nervous System Diseases / Q000175:diagnosis*; D012782:Shoulder / Q000473:pathology*; D012785:Shoulder Joint / Q000254:growth & development / Q000473:pathology*