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Aim: The aim of this study was to examine cases of obstetric brachial plexus palsy (OBPP) treated over 20 years at a single tertiary center. Material and Method: We retrospectively reviewed 777 cases of OBPP who were observed at the Pediatric Neurology Department at Istanbul Medical Faculty between March 1989 and December 2010. The patients were evaluated in terms of demographic characteristics, treatment methods, surgical approaches, complications and functional levels according to Narakas Classification Scale. Results: Out of a total of 777 OBPP patients, 393 were female and 384 were male. The mean birth weight was 3968.9 g. Three of the patients were siblings. OBPP was bilateral In 3 patients; right sided in 463 patients and left sided in 311 patients. In terms of concomitant conditions, 82 patients had torticollis, 62 had Horner's syndrome, 47 had broken clavicle, 3 had broken humerus, 3 had cerebral palsy and 1 had facial paralysis. According to the Narakas classification, 430 patients (55%) were evaluated as stage 1 OBPP, 219 (28.5%) were evaluated as stage 2, 66 (8.5%) were evaluated as stage 3 and 62 (8%) were evaluated as stage 4. One third of the patients (%33) underwent Vojta and neurodevelopmental therapy in addition to routine physiotherapy. Complete recovery was observed in 439 (%56) of all patients, in 66% of the patients with stage 1 OBPP, in 56% of the patients with stage 2 OBPP, in 35% of the patients with stage 3 OBPP and in 18% of the patients with stage 4 OBPP. Botulinum Toxin Type A was applied in 97 cases; 30 patients underwent primary nerve surgery and 94 underwent multiple surgical procedures (25 of them required a second surgery and 15 required a third surgery). Various joint contractures were seen in 200 patients. Conclusions: Despite physiotherapy, Botulinum Toxin Type A application and surgical intervention, one out of three patients had difficulty using their arm and developed contractures and disabilities that affected their every day life. In conclusion, OBPP continues to be a severe problem leading to functional impairment and disability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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Copyright of Türk Pediatri Arşivi is the property of Aves Yayincilik Ltd. STI and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)