ABSTRACT
Among various congenital disabilities following birth trauma, brachial plexus palsy
has remained one of the most devastating for many years. The debates about physical
therapy alone versus surgical intervention, as well as the proper timing for surgery
if indicated, are still open. In our institute, brachial plexus palsies with hand
involvement and Horner's sign are surgically treated at the third month of age, and
infants with insufficient elbow flexion undergo surgery at the fifth month. Although
early neural reconstruction decreases the need for future reconstructive surgical
procedures, the children can still have upper extremity deformities that may need
to be treated by future muscle releases and transfers. We believe that in patients
who missed the chance of primary neural reconstruction, satisfying shoulder function
can still be achieved by palliative surgery before glenohumeral joint deformity occurs.
KEYWORDS
Obstetrical brachial plexus palsy - nerve surgery - muscle-tendon transfers
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Berkan MersaM.D.
COSMED Plastik Cerrahi Merkezi
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