Abstract
Background
Traumatic brachial plexus injuries are generally severe, and in many cases associated with surrounding tissue injuries, which makes them hard to diagnose at the right time. This paper presents etiological and epidemiological characteristics of surgically treated civilian traumatic brachial plexus injuries.
Methods
This retrospective study included 68 patients, operated due to the traumatic brachial plexus injuries at Clinic for Neurosurgery, Clinical Center of Serbia, during the 11-year period.
Results
The vast majority of injured patients were men in full working maturity. In our study, there were seven different etiological factors. The road traffic accidents were the most common—41 (60.3%), while the motorcycle accidents were the most dominant subtype (53.7%) of all road traffic accidents, and also representing 32.4% of all causes of trauma. Supraclavicular elements of the brachial plexus were injured in more than 80% of patients. A total of 49 (72.1%) patients from our study had one or more associated injuries. The most common associated injuries were bone fractures, brain contusions, and vascular injuries.
Conclusion
Although rare, non-war-related severe brachial plexus injuries represent a group of patients carrying high risk of insufficient functional recovery regardless of treatment modality, or surgical technique. Epidemiological and etiological data are therefore very important to identify the groups in risk and to induce preventive actions aimed at these patients.
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All authors certify that they have no affiliations with or involvement in any organization or entity with any financial interest (such as honoraria; educational grants; participation in speakers’ bureaus; membership, employment, consultancies, stock ownership, or other equity interest; and expert testimony or patent-licensing arrangements), or non-financial interest (such as personal or professional relationships, affiliations, knowledge or beliefs) in the subject matter or materials discussed in this manuscript.
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This is a retrospective review of a center's experience with 68 patients who underwent surgery between January of 2000 and December of 2010. The manuscript is clearly written. The authors have already reported the surgical and clinical results of this group of patients. This is an epidemiologic survey that helps put this disorder in context relative to other types of traumatic injury
Michel Kliot
CA, USA
This article is part of the Topical Collection on Peripheral Nerves
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Rasulić, L., Savić, A., Lepić, M. et al. Epidemiological characteristics of surgically treated civilian traumatic brachial plexus injuries in Serbia. Acta Neurochir 160, 1837–1845 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00701-018-3640-7
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00701-018-3640-7