Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Review
. 2014 Feb 9:2014:726103.
doi: 10.1155/2014/726103. eCollection 2014.

Brachial plexus injuries in adults: evaluation and diagnostic approach

Vasileios I Sakellariou  1 , Nikolaos K Badilas  2 , George A Mazis  1 , Nikolaos A Stavropoulos  1 , Helias K Kotoulas  2 , Stamatios Kyriakopoulos  2 , Ioannis Tagkalegkas  2 , Ioannis P Sofianos  2
Affiliations
Review

Brachial plexus injuries in adults: evaluation and diagnostic approach

Vasileios I Sakellariou et al. ISRN Orthop. .

Abstract

The increased incidence of motor vehicle accidents during the past century has been associated with a significant increase in brachial plexus injuries. New imaging studies are currently available for the evaluation of brachial plexus injuries. Myelography, CT myelography, and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) are indicated in the evaluation of brachial plexus. Moreover, a series of specialized electrodiagnostic and nerve conduction studies in association with the clinical findings during the neurologic examination can provide information regarding the location of the lesion, the severity of trauma, and expected clinical outcome. Improvements in diagnostic approaches and microsurgical techniques have dramatically changed the prognosis and functional outcome of these types of injuries.

PubMed Disclaimer

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Classic form of brachial plexus.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Roots, trunks, divisions, cords, and terminal branches of brachial plexus.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Relationships of brachial plexus and its portions of the axillary artery.
Figure 4
Figure 4
Cephalad (prefixed) and caudal shift (postfixed) of roots that consist of brachial plexus.
Figure 5
Figure 5
(a) Normal anatomy of rootlets and roots. (b) Avulsive preganglionic injury. (c, d) Postganglionic injury.
Figure 6
Figure 6
Upper brachial plexus injury occurs when the head and neck are moved away from the ipsilateral shoulder violently.
Figure 7
Figure 7
Lower brachial plexus injury occurs when the upper limp is abducted above the level of head with considerable force.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Snell RS. Clinical Anatomy. 8th edition. Lippincott Williams & Wilkins; 2007.
    1. Kerr A. Brachial plexus of nerves in man. The variations in its formation and branches. American Journal of Anatomy. 1918;23(article 285)
    1. Uysal II, Şeker M, Karabulut AK, et al. Brachial plexus variations in human fetuses. Neurosurgery. 2003;53(3):676–684. - PubMed
    1. Senecail B. Le plexus brachial de l’Homme [Ph.D. thesis] 1975.
    1. Adolphi H. Uber das Verhalten der zweiten Brustnerven zum plexus brachialis beim Menschen. Anatomischer Anzeiger. 1898;15:25–36.

LinkOut - more resources