Radial nerve palsy associated with humeral fractures.
Of 54 patients with radial nerve palsy complicating fractures of the humeral shaft, 93% improved after early surgical treatment whereas 82% improved with expectant treatment. Partial palsy of the radial nerve, whether immediate or delayed in onset, uniformly showed similar improvement with expectant treatment or with surgery. Of patients with delayed-onset radial palsy, 40% had a nerve lesion amenable to delayed surgery. All patients who did not recover radial nerve function had fractures involving the middle third of the humerus. The poorest prognosis for nerve recovery seemed to be in patients with comminuted, middle-third fractures who had radial nerve palsy of immediate onset-a situation indicating the severity of the injury.
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TE
Kaiser
F H
FH
Sim
P J
PJ
Kelly