Parsonage-Turner Syndrome: Clinical and Epidemiological Features From a Hand Surgeon's Perspective

Parsonage-Turner Syndrome (PTS) is a rare but serious condition characterized by spontaneous paresis of the upper extremity, typically lasting several months with variable recovery. With little literature on the behavior of PTS from a hand surgeon's perspective, accurate diagnosis and subsequent counseling of patients with PTS can be challenging.

This study is a retrospective evaluation of the clinical features of all PTS patients seen over a 9-year period. Data was collected for gender, side affected, handedness, inciting event, clinical presentation, nerve involvement, time taken for recovery, and extent of recovery.

Thirty-eight adult cases of PTS were identified, representing an incidence of 0.34 per 1000. Fifty-five percent were female, with predomination of right handedness and dominant upper extremity involvement (60% and 58%, respectively). There was an inciting incident identified in 42% of cases, and 37% of these involved surgery. Twenty-nine percent of cases presented without experiencing typical neuropathic pain. There was a predomination of anterior interosseous nerve (AIN) or posterior interosseous nerve (PIN) involvement (42% overall). Only 44% of patients achieved a complete recovery, taking a mean duration of 10 months.

This study highlights both the rarity and atypical spectrum of clinical presentation of PTS, especially considering the more common involvement found for AIN and PIN. This highlights the likelihood that patients presenting with PTS to a hand surgical practice may differ from those typically described in the literature. The poor rate of recovery is in line with other recent reports and contrasts with the more positive outcomes found in earlier studies.