Effect of Early Surgery, and Methods of Repair of Brachial Plexus Injuries in Adults on Long Term Improvement

Abstract

The incidence of brachial plexus injuries (BPI) has rapidly increased over the last 50 years, due to technological advancements in transport, and specifically the motor vehicle field, during the 20th and 21st century (Vasileios et al., 2014). Brachial plexus injury (BPI) is one of the most devastating injuries from the point of view of the patient (Mukund R et al., 2009). It not only can lead to permanent severe limb dysfunction, but it can also life-threatening since many of these injuries are accompanied by vascular damage and sometimes even by lung injury (Casal et al., 2008). It effectively cripples function in one and rarely two upper limbs, causing significant loss of function and ability to perform tasks of daily living as well as delivering in his/her workplace. Potentially this can lead to unemployment, economic hardship, depression, and in rare instances even suicidal urges. The typical patient is a young male who has had an accident while riding a two-wheeler motorcycle where he has been thrown off the vehicle and suffered traction between neck and shoulder damaging his plexus to varying degrees (Mukund R et al., 2009).