USE OF MAGNETIC RESONANCE IMAGING TO DIAGNOSE BRACHIAL PLEXUS INJURIES

To compare magnetic resonance imaging and intraoperative findings in patients diagnosed with traumatic injury to the brachial plexus.

Patients with a diagnosis of traumatic injury to the brachial plexus admitted to the hand and microsurgery outpatient consult of the Hospital das Clínicas at the University of São Paulo were selected during December 2016. A total of three adult patients with up to six months of injury who underwent surgical treatment were included in the study. A diffusion-weighted sequence magnetic resonance protocol and fluid-sensitive volumetric reformatting sequence were applied. The magnetic resonance results were compared with the diagnoses obtained from the injuries observed during the surgery. The study was double-blind (surgeon and radiologist).

A descriptive correlation was found between the magnetic resonance imaging results and the diagnostic findings from the surgeries, for both pre- and post-ganglionic injuries.

Magnetic resonance imaging has shown to be a promising diagnostic method in preoperative assessment of brachial plexus lesions; it is less invasive than other common methods, showing not only avulsion lesions but also localized postganglionic lesions in the supra- and infraclavicular region. Level of Evidence III; Diagnostic studies - Investigating a diagnostic test.