Faculty Collaboration Database

Fast spin-echo magnetic resonance imaging for radiological assessment of neonatal brachial plexus injury. J Neurosurg 1995 Sep;83(3):461-6

Date

09/01/1995

Pubmed ID

7666223

DOI

10.3171/jns.1995.83.3.0461

Scopus ID

2-s2.0-0029151350 (requires institutional sign-in at Scopus site)   50 Citations

Abstract

Neurosurgical management of birth-related brachial plexus palsy involves observing the patient for a period of several months. Operative intervention is usually undertaken at 3 to 6 months of age or more in infants who have shown little or no improvement in affected muscle groups. Ancillary tests such as electromyography and nerve conduction studies are occasionally useful. No radiological study has been consistently helpful in operative planning, except for contrast computerized tomography (CT) myelography, which requires general anesthesia in infants. This is because the infant's small size exceeds the functional resolution of the imaging modalities. This report describes the use of a special sequence of magnetic resonance (MR) imaging entitled "fast spin echo" (FSE-MR). Unlike CT myelography, this technique provides high-speed noninvasive imaging that allows clinicians to evaluate preganglionic nerve root injuries without the use of general anesthesia and lumbar puncture. The utility of this technique is illustrated in three cases, two involving either infraclavicular exploration or a combination of infraclavicular and supraclavicular exposure based on FSE-MR findings. The FSE-MR imaging offers an excellent alternative to contrast CT myelography in evaluation of infants with birth-related brachial plexus injuries.

Author List

Francel PC, Koby M, Park TS, Lee BC, Noetzel MJ, Mackinnon SE, Henegar MM, Kaufman BA

Author

Bruce A. Kaufman MD Adjunct Professor in the Neurosurgery department at Medical College of Wisconsin

MESH terms used to index this publication - Major topics in bold

Birth Injuries
Brachial Plexus
Electromyography
Evoked Potentials, Somatosensory
Female
Humans
Infant, Newborn
Magnetic Resonance Imaging
Male
Meningocele
Neural Conduction
Spinal Nerve Roots