title: Combined proximal nerve graft and distal nerve transfer for a posterior cord brachial plexus injury.
abstract: The treatment of patients with prolonged denervation from a posterior cord brachial plexus injury is challenging and no management guidelines exist to follow. The authors describe the case of a 26-year-old man who presented to our clinic for treatment 11 months after suffering a high-energy injury to the posterior cord of the brachial plexus. A combined 9-cm proximal cable nerve graft procedure and a pronator branch to the posterior interosseous nerve transfer were performed. Satisfactory deltoid, triceps, wrist, and finger extensor recovery was noted 3 years after surgery. Patients with prolonged denervation from posterior cord injuries can be successfully treated with a combination of a proximal nerve graft and a distal nerve transfer.
authors.affiliation: Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Wake Forest School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, North Carolina 27157-1070, USA.
authors.forename: Johannes F
authors.initials: JF
authors.lastname: Plate
authors.forename: L Kirsten
authors.initials: LK
authors.lastname: Ely
authors.forename: Benjamin R
authors.initials: BR
authors.lastname: Pulley
authors.forename: Beth P
authors.initials: BP
authors.lastname: Smith
authors.forename: Zhongyu
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Li
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001917:Brachial Plexus / Q000293:injuries* / Q000601:surgery*; D020516:Brachial Plexus Neuropathies / Q000601:surgery*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D016067:Nerve Transfer / Q000379:methods*; D019635:Neurosurgical Procedures; D016059:Range of Motion, Articular / Q000502:physiology; D016896:Treatment Outcome