Characteristics and Outcomes of Obstetric Brachial Plexus Palsy in a Single Saudi Center: an Experience of Ten Years

Overview

Journal Int Orthop

Specialty Orthopedics

Date 2018 May 20

PMID 29777271

Citations 7

Authors

Omar A Al-Mohrej

Nehal A Mahabbat

Asad F Khesheaim

Nezar B Hamdi

Affiliations

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Abstract

Background: Obstetric brachial plexus palsy (OBPP) is considered a rare, unpredictable, and unavoidable injury of the upper limb. In this study, we presented a retrospective cohort study over a period of ten years in King Faisal Specialists Hospital and Research Centre (KFSH&RC), Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, to assess the characteristics and functional outcomes of OBPP.

Methods: Between January 2005 and December 2015, we carried out 125 repairs of OBPP in KFSH&RC. Out of 71 girls and 54 boys, two babies died of unrelated causes, so they were excluded from the review. All medical records of the patients who attended OBPP clinic at KFSH&RC were reviewed, and relative data were extracted. Descriptive measures for categorical variables and categorical variables were presented. Student's t test and Pearson's χ test were used. The level of statistical significance was set at P ≤ 0.05.

Results: A total of 123 patients were included in the study with a mean follow-up of 6.1 ± 2.4 years. Of those, 71 (57.7%) were females. Mean age at presentation was 4.2 ± 2.7 months with a birth weight of 3965.9 ± 629.6 g. More than half of the patients (56.1%) sustained the injury in the right side, and 62 patients (50.4%) were classified as Narakas I. Most of the surgeries (96.7%) were nerve grafting. Only 32 (26.0%) patients needed one or more secondary interventions. In the last visit, the mean total score of Mallet was 16.6 ± 2.8. Also, passive external rotation in adduction improved to 38.3 ± 14.5. Last Raimondi hand function grade was 2 ± 1.

Discussion: Our experience demonstrated the value of primary and secondary surgeries in patients with OBPP. Also, we presented the patterns of injury in Saudi patients presented to KFSH&RC.

Citing Articles

Staged Shoulder and Elbow Reconstruction in a Child with Obstetric Brachial Plexus Palsy: Six-year Follow-up.

El-Beshry S, Aly A, El-Sobky T Afr J Paediatr Surg. 2024; 21(4):273-277.

PMID: 39279622 PMC: 11493227. DOI: 10.4103/ajps.ajps_47_23.

Brachial Plexus Birth Injury: Trends in Early Surgical Intervention over the Last Three Decades.

Wells M, Tihista M, Diamond S Plast Reconstr Surg Glob Open. 2022; 10(5):e4346.

PMID: 35620493 PMC: 9126517. DOI: 10.1097/GOX.0000000000004346.

Complications associated with talectomy in paediatric patients: a comparative retrospective study of two surgical techniques.

Alhussainan T, Al-Mohrej O, Almarshad A, Wade W BMC Musculoskelet Disord. 2021; 22(1):423.

PMID: 33962605 PMC: 8106122. DOI: 10.1186/s12891-021-04309-2.

Hand Surgery in Saudi Arabia.

Kattan A, Al-Qattan M J Hand Microsurg. 2021; 13(1):2-3.

PMID: 33707915 PMC: 7937444. DOI: 10.1055/s-0040-1718976.

Al-Mohrej O, Elshaer A, Al-Dakhil S, Sayed A, Aljohar S, AlFattani A Bone Jt Open. 2020; 1(4):47-54.

PMID: 33215107 PMC: 7659643. DOI: 10.1302/2633-1462.14.BJO-2020-0005.

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