Conservative treatment for brachial plexus injury after a displaced clavicle fracture: a case report and literature review
Abstract Background A brachial plexus injury is a rare complication of clavicle fractures. Previous case reports only examined the surgical outcomes of brachial plexus injuries that occurred after a clavicle fracture and did not report on the outcomes of conservative treatment. In this report, we pr...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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BMC
2022-07-01
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| Series: | BMC Musculoskeletal Disorders |
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| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1186/s12891-022-05601-5 |
| _version_ | 1818533896668577792 |
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| author | Myung-Seo Kim |
| author_facet | Myung-Seo Kim |
| author_sort | Myung-Seo Kim |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract Background A brachial plexus injury is a rare complication of clavicle fractures. Previous case reports only examined the surgical outcomes of brachial plexus injuries that occurred after a clavicle fracture and did not report on the outcomes of conservative treatment. In this report, we present the prognosis of a patient with an acute displaced clavicle fracture accompanied by a brachial plexus injury that was conservatively treated. Case presentation A 51-year-old man with a middle-third clavicle fracture due to a direct trauma after falling down the stairs. A brachial plexus injury experienced symptoms, including numbness occurred in the affected upper extremity, at 1 day after the injury. The patient’s motor power in the elbow, wrist, and hand decreased at 3 days after the injury. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) showed no loss of continuity in the brachial plexus, but showed nerve compression by displaced fracture fragments. Electromyography revealed brachial plexopathy. Conservative treatment, including a shoulder sling, was performed with satisfactory outcomes; the patient reported a 70% improvement at 6 months after the injury. Conclusions A brachial plexus injury is a rare complication of clavicle fractures that can cause serious dysfunction of the upper extremities affected by the injury. Conservative treatment may be considered for acute nerve compression by displaced fracture fragments rather than extensive callus or granulation tissue formation to achieve a satisfactory recovery in young patients. MRI should typically be performed before making a treatment decision to examine the brachial plexus for any discontinuity or kinking. |
| first_indexed | 2024-12-11T18:04:46Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-52ae94a438724535bb90f84f8d2335af |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1471-2474 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-11T18:04:46Z |
| publishDate | 2022-07-01 |
| publisher | BMC |
| record_format | Article |
| series | BMC Musculoskeletal Disorders |
| spelling | doaj.art-52ae94a438724535bb90f84f8d2335af2022-12-22T00:55:46ZengBMCBMC Musculoskeletal Disorders1471-24742022-07-012311410.1186/s12891-022-05601-5Conservative treatment for brachial plexus injury after a displaced clavicle fracture: a case report and literature reviewMyung-Seo Kim0Shoulder & Elbow Clinic, Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, College of Medicine, Kyung Hee University Hospital at GangdongAbstract Background A brachial plexus injury is a rare complication of clavicle fractures. Previous case reports only examined the surgical outcomes of brachial plexus injuries that occurred after a clavicle fracture and did not report on the outcomes of conservative treatment. In this report, we present the prognosis of a patient with an acute displaced clavicle fracture accompanied by a brachial plexus injury that was conservatively treated. Case presentation A 51-year-old man with a middle-third clavicle fracture due to a direct trauma after falling down the stairs. A brachial plexus injury experienced symptoms, including numbness occurred in the affected upper extremity, at 1 day after the injury. The patient’s motor power in the elbow, wrist, and hand decreased at 3 days after the injury. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) showed no loss of continuity in the brachial plexus, but showed nerve compression by displaced fracture fragments. Electromyography revealed brachial plexopathy. Conservative treatment, including a shoulder sling, was performed with satisfactory outcomes; the patient reported a 70% improvement at 6 months after the injury. Conclusions A brachial plexus injury is a rare complication of clavicle fractures that can cause serious dysfunction of the upper extremities affected by the injury. Conservative treatment may be considered for acute nerve compression by displaced fracture fragments rather than extensive callus or granulation tissue formation to achieve a satisfactory recovery in young patients. MRI should typically be performed before making a treatment decision to examine the brachial plexus for any discontinuity or kinking.https://doi.org/10.1186/s12891-022-05601-5Clavicle fractureBrachial plexus injuryConservative treatmentClinical outcomeCase report |
| spellingShingle | Myung-Seo Kim Conservative treatment for brachial plexus injury after a displaced clavicle fracture: a case report and literature review BMC Musculoskeletal Disorders Clavicle fracture Brachial plexus injury Conservative treatment Clinical outcome Case report |
| title | Conservative treatment for brachial plexus injury after a displaced clavicle fracture: a case report and literature review |
| title_full | Conservative treatment for brachial plexus injury after a displaced clavicle fracture: a case report and literature review |
| title_fullStr | Conservative treatment for brachial plexus injury after a displaced clavicle fracture: a case report and literature review |
| title_full_unstemmed | Conservative treatment for brachial plexus injury after a displaced clavicle fracture: a case report and literature review |
| title_short | Conservative treatment for brachial plexus injury after a displaced clavicle fracture: a case report and literature review |
| title_sort | conservative treatment for brachial plexus injury after a displaced clavicle fracture a case report and literature review |
| topic | Clavicle fracture Brachial plexus injury Conservative treatment Clinical outcome Case report |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1186/s12891-022-05601-5 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT myungseokim conservativetreatmentforbrachialplexusinjuryafteradisplacedclaviclefractureacasereportandliteraturereview |