• J Hand Surg Am · Oct 2014

    Free functioning gracilis transfer for traumatic brachial plexus injuries in children.

    • Harvey Chim, Michelle F Kircher, Robert J Spinner, Allen T Bishop, and Alexander Y Shin.
    • Department of Orthopedic Surgery, Division of Hand Surgery, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN; Department of Neurosurgery, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN.
    • J Hand Surg Am. 2014 Oct 1; 39 (10): 1959-66.

    PurposeTo report our technique and experience with use of free functioning muscle transfer (FFMT) in reconstruction of traumatic brachial plexus injuries (BPIs) in children as well as its complications and outcomes.MethodsTwelve patients with complete BPI underwent FFMT for reconstruction between 2000 and 2012. Eight had single-stage gracilis transfer for restoration of elbow flexion, and 4 children had double free gracilis muscle transfer for restoration of elbow flexion and prehension. Mean duration of follow-up was 27 months (range, 14-55 mo).ResultsEleven out of 12 patients achieved at least M3 elbow flexion, with 8 patients achieving M4 or greater elbow flexion. Eight of 12 patients had nerve transfers to the musculocutaneous nerve. Mean active elbow arc of motion was 79° (range, 30°-130°). Two patients aged 8 and 11 years with open growth plates developed elbow joint contractures, which limited range of motion, but they recovered M4 and M5 elbow flexion strength.ConclusionsFFMTs can result in good outcomes following reconstruction for traumatic BPI. The use of FFMT should be carefully considered in children prior to skeletal maturity because of the risk of the development of an elbow flexion contracture.Type Of Study/Level Of EvidenceTherapeutic IV.Copyright © 2014 American Society for Surgery of the Hand. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

      Pubmed     Full text   Copy Citation     Plaintext  

      Add institutional full text...

    Notes

     
    Knowledge, pearl, summary or comment to share?
    300 characters remaining
    help        
    You can also include formatting, links, images and footnotes in your notes
    • Simple formatting can be added to notes, such as *italics*, _underline_ or **bold**.
    • Superscript can be denoted by <sup>text</sup> and subscript <sub>text</sub>.
    • Numbered or bulleted lists can be created using either numbered lines 1. 2. 3., hyphens - or asterisks *.
    • Links can be included with: [my link to pubmed](http://pubmed.com)
    • Images can be included with: ![alt text](https://bestmedicaljournal.com/study_graph.jpg "Image Title Text")
    • For footnotes use [^1](This is a footnote.) inline.
    • Or use an inline reference [^1] to refer to a longer footnote elseweher in the document [^1]: This is a long footnote..

    hide…

What will the 'Medical Journal of You' look like?

Start your free 21 day trial now.

We guarantee your privacy. Your email address will not be shared.