• Archives of Reconstructive Microsurgery
• /
• 제7권2호
• /
• pp.102-107
• /
• 1998

We have performed the operations for the restoration of shoulder abduction and elbow flexion in 17 patients(20 cases of neurotization) of brachial plexus injury at the Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Korea University Hospital from October 1991 to May 1997. The mean follow-up period was 42 months. After neurotization for brachial plexus injury, functional recovery of shoulder abduction and elbow flexion were good and fair in 65%. In the functional evaluation, the clinical results of whole arm type were poorer than those of upper arm type, and the operations performed within 6 months since the injury were better than those of other cases.

• Journal of Korean Neurosurgical Society
• /
• 제52권3호
• /
• pp.267-269
• /
• 2012

Traumatic brachial plexus injuries can be devastating, causing partial to total denervation of the muscles of the upper extremities. Surgical reconstruction can restore motor and/or sensory function following nerve injuries. Direct nerve-to-nerve transfers can provide a closer nerve source to the target muscle, thereby enhancing the quality and rate of recovery. Restoration of elbow flexion is the primary goal for patients with brachial plexus injuries. A 4-year-old right-hand-dominant male sustained a fracture of the left scapula in a car accident. He was treated conservatively. After the accident, he presented with motor weakness of the left upper extremity. Shoulder abduction was grade 3 and elbow flexor was grade 0. Hand function was intact. Nerve conduction studies and an electromyogram were performed, which revealed left lateral and posterior cord brachial plexopathy with axonotmesis. He was admitted to Rehabilitation Medicine and treated. However, marked neurological dysfunction in the left upper extremity was still observed. Six months after trauma, under general anesthesia with the patient in the supine position, the brachial plexus was explored through infraclavicular and supraclavicular incisions. Each terminal branch was confirmed by electrophysiology. Avulsion of the C5 roots and absence of usable stump proximally were confirmed intraoperatively. Under a microscope, neurotization from the musculocutaneous nerve to two medial pectoral nerves was performed with nylon 8-0. Physical treatment and electrostimulation started 2 weeks postoperatively. At a 3-month postoperative visit, evidence of reinnervation of the elbow flexors was observed. At his last follow-up, 2 years following trauma, the patient had recovered Medical Research Council (MRC) grade 4+ elbow flexors. We propose that neurotization from medial pectoral nerves to musculocutaneous nerve can be used successfully to restore elbow flexion in patients with brachial plexus injuries.

• Archives of Plastic Surgery
• /
• 제48권3호
• /
• pp.278-281
• /
• 2021

Facial palsy (FP) is a functional disorder of the facial nerve involving paralysis of the mimic muscles. According to the principle "time is muscle," early surgical treatment is tremendously important for preserving the mimic musculature if there are no signs of nerve function recovery. In a 49-year-old female patient, even 19 months after onset of FP, successful neurotization was still possible by a V-to-VII nerve transfer and cross-face nerve grafting. Our patient suffered from complete FP after vestibular schwannoma surgery. With continuous application of electrostimulation (ES) therapy, the patient was able to bridge the period between the first onset of FP and neurotization surgery. The significance of ES for mimic musculature preservation in FP patients has not yet been fully clarified. More attention should be paid to this form of therapy in order to preserve the facial musculature, and its benefits should be evaluated in further prospective clinical studies.

• Archives of Reconstructive Microsurgery
• /
• 제4권1호
• /
• pp.52-57
• /
• 1995

The authors have reviewed 19 patients of brachial plexus injury who treated by operative methods at Department of Orthopedic Surgery, Korea University Hospital during the period from January 1989 to February 1994. All of these patients were followed up more than one year and following results were obtained. 1. The whole arm type injury was most common(7 of 19 patient) and supraclavicular lesion(15 of 19 patient) was more dominant than infraclavicular lesion(4 of 19 patients). 2. The neurorrhaphy, nurolysis, nerve grafting, and neurotization were performed for the primary neural surgery and secondary reconstructive procedure consist of musculotendinous transfer and free muscle transfer with neurotization. 3. The followed up period was from one year to four years and six months, average being two years and five months. 4. We have obtained satisfactory results in 12 patients among 19 patients.

• 대한미세수술학회:학술대회논문집
• /
• 대한미세수술학회 1999년도 제19차 학술대회
• /
• pp.200-201
• /
• 1999

• 대한미세수술학회:학술대회논문집
• /
• 대한미세수술학회 1998년도 제18차 학술대회
• /
• pp.183-184
• /
• 1998

• Archives of Plastic Surgery
• /
• 제40권4호
• /
• pp.359-366
• /
• 2013

Background Pedicled transverse rectus abdominis musculocutaneous flaps typically sacrifice the entire muscle. In our experience, the lateral strip of the rectus abdominis muscle can be spared in an attempt to maintain function and reduce morbidity. When the intercostal nerves are injured, muscle atrophy appears with time. The severed intercostal nerve was reinserted into the remnant lateral strip of the rectus abdominis muscle to reduce muscle atrophy. Methods The authors retrospectively reviewed 9 neurotized cases and 10 non-neurotized cases. Abdominal computed tomography was performed to determine the area of the rectus muscles. Electromyography (EMG) was performed to check contractile function of the remnant muscle. A single investigator measured the mean areas of randomly selected locations (second lumbar spine) using ImageJ software in a series of 10 cross-sectional slices. We compared the Hounsfield unit (HU) pre- and postoperatively to evaluate regeneration quality. Results In the neurotization group, 7 of 9 cases maintained the mass of remnant muscle. However, in the non-neurotization group, 8 of 10 lost their mass. The number of totally atrophied muscles in each of the two groups was significantly different (P=0.027). All of the remnant muscles showed contractile function on EMG. The 9 remaining remnant rectus abdominis muscles showed declined the HU value after surgery but also within a normal range of muscle. Conclusions Neurotization was found to be effective in maintaining the mass of remnant muscle. Neurotized remnant muscle had contractile function on EMG and no fatty degeneration by HU value.

• Journal of Korean Neurosurgical Society
• /
• 제66권4호
• /
• pp.344-355
• /
• 2023

Chronic lower back pain is a leading cause of disability in musculoskeletal system. Degenerative disc disease is one of the main contributing factor of chronic back pain in the aging population in the world. It is postulated that sinuvertebral nerve and basivertebral nerve main mediator of the nociceptive response in degenerative disc disease as a result of neurotization of sinuvertebral and basivertebral nerve. A review in literature is done on the pathoanatomy, pathophysiology and pain generation pathway in degenerative disc disease and chronic back pain and management strategy is discussed in this review to aid understanding of sinuvertebral and basivertebral neuropathy treatment strategies.

• Journal of Chest Surgery
• /
• 제35권10호
• /
• pp.730-735
• /
• 2002

횡격막은 횡격막 신경과 동측의 하 흉벽 늑간신경의 지배를 받는다. 상완신경총의 적출 손상을 가진 환자에서 신경총의 일부 신경의 신경이식술에 횡경막 신경의 신경 이식편이 종종 이용된다. 이와 같이 횡격막 신경이 신경이식편으로 사용된 환자에서 횡격막 신경의 탈신경으로 인하여 발생하는 횡격막의 위치 및 운동의 변화를 연구하였다. 대상 및 방법 : 어께의 둔상으로 상완신경총의 적출 손상 때문에 동측의 횡격막 신경으로 근피부신경에 신경이식술을 시행한 13예를 대상으로 하였다. 흉강경 수술방법으로 흉강 내 횡격막 신경을 박리하고 횡격막 바로 위에서 횡격막 신경을 절단하여 경부 절개창을 통해서 외부로 끌어낸 다음 피하 터널을 통해서 동측의 근피부신경에 이식하였다. 엑스선 투시검사와 흉부 엑스선 촬영으로 수술 전후의 횡격막 위치 및 운동 상태를 조사하였다. 결과 : 흉강경을 이용하여 횡격막 신경을 박리 절단하는데 기술적 어려움이나 경미한 합병증도 없었다. 횡격막 신경의 절단 직후에는 횡격막이 평균 1.7 늑간 정도 올라가 있었으나, 엑스선 투시검사에서 흡기시 횡격막의 역행성 운동은 보이지 않았다. 1.5개월 이후의 엑스선 검사에서 횡격막의 위치는 수술 전에 비해 유의한 차이 없을 정도(평균 0.9 늑간 차이; p＝NS로 복원되었다. 횡격막 신경의 절단으로 횡격막의 운동 범위는 탈신경 전에 비해 유의한 차이가 없었다. 결론 : 횡격막 신경의 차단으로 인한 탈신경 후 횡격막의 운동기능은 남아 있었으며 횡격막의 위치는 시간이 경과함에 따라 어느 정도 회복되는 현상을 보였다. 그러나 폐활량이 계속 감소된 소견은 횡격막의 흡기력이 완전히 회복되지 않았음을 추정할 수 있다.

• Archives of Reconstructive Microsurgery
• /
• 제6권1호
• /
• pp.73-79
• /
• 1997

Complete denervation after severe brachial plexus injury make significant muscle atrophy with loss of proper function. It is much helpful to reconstruct the essential function of the elbow flexion movement in patient with total loss of elbow flexion motion after brachial plexus lesion which was not recovered with nerve surgery or long term conservative treatment from onset. In whole arm type brachial plexus injury, if there were no response to neurotization or neglected from injury, the volume of the denervated muscle is significantely reduced month by month. About 18 months most of the muscle fibers change to fibrous tissues and markedly atrophied irreversibly, further waiting is no more meaningful from that period. Authors performed 14 cases of functioning gracilis muscle transfer from 1981 to 1995 with microneurovascular technique, neuromusculocutaneous free flaps were performed for reconstruction of lost elbow flexion function. Average follow-up period was 5 years and 6 months. We used couple of intercostal nerves as a recipient nerve which were anastomosed to muscular nerve from obturator nerve in all cases. Recipient vessels were three deep brachial artery and eleven brachial artery which were anastomosed to medial femoral circumflex artery with end to end or end to side fashion. Average resting length of the transplanted gracilis were 24 cm. We can get average 54 degree flexion range of elbow with fair muscle power from flail elbow. There were one case of muscle necrosis with lately developed thrombosis of microvascular anastomosed site which comes from insufficient recipient arterial condition, 3 cases of partial marginal necrosis of distal skin of the transplanted part which were not significant problem with spontaneously solved with time goes by gracilis muscle has constant neurovascular pattern with relatively easy harvesting donor with minimal donor morbidity. Especially it has similar length and shape with biceps brachii muscle of upper arm and longer nerve pedicle which can neurorrhaphy with intercostal nerve without nerve graft if sufficient mobilization of the nerves from both sides of gracilis and intercostal region. Authors can propose gracilis muscle transplantation with intercostal nerves neurotization is helpful method with minimal donor morbidity for neglected brachial plexus palsy patients.