Radial to axillary nerve transfer.

Axillary nerve injury is common after brachial plexus injuries, particularly with shoulder luxation. Nerve grafting is the traditional procedure for postganglionic injuries. Nerve transfer is emerging as a viable option particularly in late referrals. At the proximal arm the radial and axillary nerves lie close by. Sacrificing one of the triceps muscle nerve branches induces little negative consequences. Transferring the long head of the triceps nerve branch is a good option to recover axillary nerve function. The surgical technique is presented in a video, stressing the steps to achieve a successful result. The video can be found here: https://youtu.be/WbVbpMuPxIE .

Is There a Safe and Effective Way to Treat Trigeminal Neuralgia Associated with Vertebrobasilar Dolichoectasia? Presentation of 8 Cases and Literature Review.

OBJECTIVE: Surgical treatment of trigeminal neuralgia (TN) associated with vertebrobasilar dolichoectasia is challenging. We analyze the treatments for this disease, discussing the advantages and drawbacks, and present our own technique and series. METHODS: This retrospective study covered the period January 2006 through January 2016. Vertebrobasilar dolichoectasia deviation from midline, basilar artery (BA) and vertebral artery diameter, and BA apex distance above the posterior clinoid process were measured on preoperative and postoperative magnetic resonance imaging. The BA was repositioned and kept in place with coagulation of the clival dura, Teflon pledgets, and fibrin glue. We also performed a thorough literature review using PubMed. RESULTS: Our cases included 5 men and 3 women with mean age 64.88 years ± 10.32 (range, 48-81 years); 7 cases were TN, and 1 case was painful tic convulsif. Pain was on the left side in 6 cases and on the right in 2 cases. All cases affected cranial nerve V2 and/or V3 divisions. Both V2 and V3 were affected in 4 cases, V3 was affected in 3 cases, and V2 was affected in 1 case. Hypertension was present in 5 cases. TN disappeared postoperatively in all cases. One patient took clonazepam 2 mg/24 hours for 3 months because of facial dysesthesia. Postoperative complications included hearing loss in 1 patient; facial paresis plus diplopia in 1 patient, which resolved in 3 months; and arterial hypertension. Postoperative arterial hypertension improved in all affected patients, although only 2 patients discontinued antihypertensive medications. Mean follow-up time was 56.50 months ± 40.08 (range, 14 months to 9 years 9 months). No patient showed pain recurrence. CONCLUSIONS: TN associated with vertebrobasilar dolichoectasia can be treated surgically with minimal morbidity. BA repositioning has the highest success rate. Our technique of inducing a dural scar to fix the BA in its new position away from the trigeminal nerve is simple, not technically demanding, and highly effective.

Transdiscal C6-C7 contralateral C7 nerve root transfer in the surgical repair of brachial plexus avulsion injuries.

BACKGROUND: Repair of complete brachial plexus avulsion injuries may require contralateral C7 nerve root transfer. The available techniques might allow direct neuroraphy in about 50 % of cases but the others require interposing nerve grafts or humeral shaft shortening. We aimed to see if transdiscal C6-C7 contralateral C7 nerve root transfer is technically feasible and if it allows direct coaptation with the contralateral nerve roots in 100 % of cases. METHODS: In ten fresh-frozen adult cadavers, the C7 nerve root was sectioned just before it connects with other brachial plexus branches and re-routed though the C6-C7 disc space to the contralateral side. A complete C6-C7 discectomy was performed and the disc space kept open with the aid of an autologous iliac crest bone graft. RESULTS: Transdiscal C6-C7 contralateral C7 nerve root transfer is technically feasible. In our cadavers, it provided 5.3 ± 1.2 SDcm of extra length that allowed direct coaptation with the contralateral nerve roots, mainly C8 and T1. CONCLUSIONS: Transdiscal C6-C7 contralateral C7 nerve root transfer is technically feasible. In our dissections it lengthens the available C7 nerve root stump by 5.3 ± 1.2SDcm. The increase was 4 cm versus the retropharyngeal route making direct coaptation with the contralateral C8 and T1 nerve roots possible.