Abstract

Injuries to the brachial plexus have traditionally been approached with trepidation on the part of healthcare providers as notoriously poor outcomes have caused significant impediment to function. With improved technology and research, however, the surgical management of these injuries has changed substantially over the last couple of decades, leading to dramatically improved restoration of function and patient satisfaction. The improved understanding of nerve topography has been critical to this developing field, as this has allowed for such technological advances as nerve transfers, which allow for surgical intervention outside the zone of injury at a distance much closer to the motor endplate, thus re-establishing function more expeditiously. This chapter will address the pertinent anatomy of the brachial plexus, potential aetiologies and patterns of injury, the assessment and investigation of a patient with a plexus injury, and the surgical and postoperative management of these difficult patients.

Original languageEnglish
Title of host publicationPlastic and Reconstructive Surgery
Subtitle of host publicationApproaches and Techniques
Publisherwiley
Pages797-812
Number of pages16
ISBN (Electronic)9781118655412
ISBN (Print)9781118655429
DOIs
StatePublished - Mar 27 2015

Keywords

  • Brachial plexus
  • Nerve grafting
  • Nerve transfer
  • Obstetrical brachial plexus palsy
  • Tendon transfer

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