The towel test: a useful technique for the clinical and electromyographic evaluation of obstetric brachial plexus palsy.
The towel test consists of covering an infant's face with a towel and seeing if he/she can remove it with either arm. In this study it has been used to aid the clinical and electromyographic assessment of 21 infants with obstetric brachial plexus palsy. At 2 to 3 months, none of the 21 infants succeeded in removing the towel, either with their normal or affected arm. At 6 months, all the infants succeeded in removing the towel with their normal arm, but 11 could not with their affected arm, and the same was observed at a further assessment at 9 months. The towel test is a reliable technique for evaluating children with obstetric brachial plexus injuries.
Bertelli
J A
JA
Departments of Plastic Surgery and Neurosurgery, Joana de Gusmão Children's Hospital, Florianópolis, SC, Brazil and Universidade do Sul de Santa Catarina-Unisul, Centro de Ciências Biológicas e da Saúde-CCBS, Tubarão, SC, Brazil. bertelli@matrix.com.br
Ghizoni
M F
MF
D001917:Brachial Plexus / Q000293:injuries* / Q000503:physiopathology; D004576:Electromyography; D005145:Face; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D008297:Male; D010246:Paralysis, Obstetric / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000503:physiopathology; D011187:Posture / Q000502:physiology