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Extremity shortness in obstetric brachial plexus lesion and its relationship to root avulsion

Hilmi Uysal1, Sibel Ozbudak Demir, Fügen Oktay

  • 1Department Akdeniz University Hospital, Antalya, Turkey. uysalh@akdeniz.edu.tr

Journal of Child Neurology
|January 5, 2008
PubMed

Insights

Obstetric brachial plexus palsy can cause significant extremity shortness due to root avulsion. This bone length difference increases with age and lesion severity, impacting limb development.

Area of Science:

  • Orthopedics
  • Neurology
  • Pediatric Medicine

Background:

  • Obstetric brachial plexus palsy (OBPP) is a common birth injury.
  • Limb length discrepancies are a known complication of OBPP.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the relationship between lesion level, age, and extremity shortness in OBPP patients.
  • To determine the impact of root avulsion on bone length differences.

Main Methods:

  • Clinical evaluation of 73 OBPP patients.
  • Electrophysiological assessments.
  • Cervical magnetic resonance imaging (MRI).
  • Comparison of bone lengths between affected and unaffected extremities across age groups.

Main Results:

  • Significant differences in humerus, ulna, radius, and metacarpal bone lengths were found between involved and uninvolved extremities.
  • Bone length discrepancies increased with age, stabilizing around 10% in older groups (4-8 and 8+ years).
  • A strong correlation existed between bone length differences and lesion levels, particularly root avulsion in older patients.

Conclusions:

  • Extremity shortness in OBPP is significantly related to the level of nerve lesion and root avulsion.
  • The impact of root avulsion on extremity shortening is cumulative and more pronounced with increasing age.

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