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CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 · Rev Bras Ortop (Sao Paulo) 2022; 57(01): 103-107
DOI: 10.1055/s-0041-1731416
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Evaluation of Long-Term Results of Oberlin Surgery in Obstetric Brachial Paralysis[*]

Article in several languages: português | English
Eduardo Araújo Figueiredo 
1   Departamento de Cirurgia da Mão, Santa Casa da Misericórdia de São Paulo, Faculdade de Ciências Médicas, São Paulo, SP, Brasil
,
Fernando Sellitti Chiabai de Freitas 
2   Departamento de Ortopedia e traumatologia, Santa Casa da Misericórdia de São Paulo, Faculdade de Ciências Médicas, São Paulo, SP, Brasil
,
Júlio Inácio Parente Neto 
2   Departamento de Ortopedia e traumatologia, Santa Casa da Misericórdia de São Paulo, Faculdade de Ciências Médicas, São Paulo, SP, Brasil
,
Yussef Ali Abdouni 
3   Departamento de Cirurgia da Mão e Microcirurgia, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo, SP, Brasil
,
Antônio Carlos da Costa 
1   Departamento de Cirurgia da Mão, Santa Casa da Misericórdia de São Paulo, Faculdade de Ciências Médicas, São Paulo, SP, Brasil
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Abstract

Objective To evaluate elbow flexion in children with obstetric brachial plexus paralysis submitted to Oberlin transfer.

Methods Retrospective study with 11 patients affected by paralysis due to labor who did not present spontaneous recovery from elbow flexion until 12 months of life, operated between 2010 and 2018.

Results The children were operated between 5 and 12 months of life, with a mean of 7.9 months, and the mean follow-up time was 133.2 months, ranging from 37 to 238 months. Six patients (54.5%) presented a degree of muscle strength ≥ 3, measured by the strength scale of the Medical Research Council (MRC) and, according to the active movement scale (AMS), 5 patients obtained a score of ≥ 5. A negative correlation was identified between the AMS and the Narakas classification (r = -0.509), as well as between the strength scale (MRC) and the Narakas classification (r = -0.495). A strong positive correlation was observed (r = 0.935) between the AMS and the MRC demonstrating that the higher the score on the movement scale, the higher the score on the muscle strength scale.

Conclusion The Oberlin surgery is a possible option for recovery of elbow flexion in children with neonatal plexopathy, demonstrating, however, very heterogeneous results, even in the long-term follow-up.

Keywords

brachial plexus - paralysis, obstetric - brachial plexus neuropathies

Financial Support

There was no financial support from public, commercial, or non-profit sources.


* Work developed at Santa Casa da Misericórdia de São Paulo, Faculdade de Ciências Médicas, São Paulo, Brazil.




Publication History

Received: 26 April 2020

Accepted: 11 February 2021

Article published online:
21 January 2022

© 2022. Sociedade Brasileira de Ortopedia e Traumatologia. This is an open access article published by Thieme under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonDerivative-NonCommercial License, permitting copying and reproduction so long as the original work is given appropriate credit. Contents may not be used for commecial purposes, or adapted, remixed, transformed or built upon. (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/)

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