Improving lives: Health-related quality of life after surgery for traumatic brachial plexus lesions in a single center retrospective study.

INTRODUCTION

Traumatic injuries of the brachial plexus are life-altering, associated with complex injury patterns and commonly affect young people. Since the introduction of brachial plexus microsurgery, studies have largely focused on improving motor outcomes without patient-reported outcome measures.

RESEARCH QUESTION: To assess the development of quality of life after surgical treatment for traumatic injuries of the brachial plexus in addition to neurological outcome.

MATERIAL AND

METHODS

This retrospective study investigated neurological outcome and health-related quality of life in 98 patients treated at Ulm University, District Hospital Günzburg between 1st January 2020 and 31st December 2023. EQ-5D-5L-, PainDetect- and two items of the PSQI-questionnaire were sent to all patients regarding their state before surgery and at last follow-up. Clinical data were gathered by chart review.

RESULTS

62 patients returned the questionnaires. Mean follow-up was 22.3 months. MRC grade 2/5 or more was achieved in 59.5% of musculocutaneous nerve, 61.9% of axillary nerve and 54.8% or suprascapular nerve reconstructions. Mean health utility index increased from 0.41 (standard deviation ± 0.34) to 0.57 (±0.28) (p < 0.05) correlating with motor improvement (Spearmans's Rho 0.34, p < 0.05). PainDetect scores showed a significant reduction of mean values from 19.7 (±9.0) to 16.5 (±8.0) (p < 0.05). Sleep duration and quality showed a non-significant trend towards improvement.

DISCUSSION AND

CONCLUSION

Brachial plexus surgery offers an invaluable possibility to improve patients' lives and a vital and oftentimes sole therapeutic opportunity for commonly young patients suffering from a profoundly life-altering condition.