Primary epineural repair of the ulnar nerve in children

Abstract

Transectional nerve injuries are uncommon in children. We report the outcome of 19 children aged < or = 13 years with acute transectional injuries to the ulnar nerves who were treated by primary epineural repair. There were 13 boys and 6 girls with a mean age at the time of injury of 6.7 years (range, 2-12 years). The site of injury was the palm in 4 children, wrist in 10, forearm in 4, and above the elbow in 1. Associated injuries to other structures occurred in 13 children. The mean recovery (Medical Research Council scale) of the first dorsal interosseous muscle was grade 4.0 (range, grade 3-5) and the mean outcome for the abductor digiti minimi was grade 3.9 (range, grade 2-5). The mean static 2-point discrimination was 6 mm (range, 2-20 mm). The mean follow-up period was 50 months (range, 12-103 months). Although proximal injuries (at or above the elbow) had a poorer outcome, satisfactory function of the intrinsic hand muscles still occurred; this finding contrasts to results reported in adults. Similarly, associated injuries to adjacent structures had no impact on ulnar nerve recovery. Primary epineural repair of the acutely transected ulnar nerve leads to a satisfactory recovery in both motor and sensory function in children younger than 13 years.