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Objectives: The aims of this study were to characterize the electrodiagnostic findings of radial neuropathy using motor segmental conduction study and to determine the utility of subsequent inching test in precise lesion localization., Design: Twenty-three patients with radial neuropathy were evaluated using radial neuropathy using motor segmental conduction study with three-point stimulation. The pathomechanism of the lesions according to the radial neuropathy using motor segmental conduction study was classified into three groups: conduction block, mixed lesion (combination of conduction block and axonal degeneration), and axonal degeneration. Inching test was performed in patients with conduction block to localize the lesion site, and needle electromyography identified the most proximal radial nerve-innervated muscles affected., Results: Out of 23 cases, the radial neuropathy using motor segmental conduction study demonstrated probable partial conduction block in 10, mixed lesions in 2, and axonal degeneration in 10. One case could not be categorized with radial neuropathy using motor segmental conduction study alone. As determined by radial neuropathy using motor segmental conduction study and inching test, the most common cause of conduction block was compression, while the most common cause of axonal degeneration was iatrogenic. In the conduction block group, the lesion locations identified by radial neuropathy using motor segmental conduction study and inching test were consistent with needle electromyography localization., Conclusions: The combined radial neuropathy using motor segmental conduction study and inching test technique can precisely localize radial motor nerve injuries and provide detailed information on electrodiagnostic characteristics of radial mononeuropathy., Competing Interests: All authors declare that they have no conflict of interest. Financial disclosure statements have been obtained, and no conflicts of interest have been reported by the authors or by any individuals in control of the content of this article., (Copyright © 2024 Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc. All rights reserved.)

Rationale: Radial nerve palsy in the newborn and congenital radial head dislocation (CRHD) are both rare disorders, and early diagnosis is challenging. We reported a case of an infant with concurrent presence of these 2 diseases and provide a comprehensive review of the relevant literature. The purpose of the study is to share diagnostic and treatment experiences and provide potentially valuable insights., Patient Concerns: A newborn has both radial nerve palsy and CRHD, characterized by limited wrist and fingers extension but normal flexion, normal shoulder and elbow movement on the affected side, characteristic skin lesions around the elbow, and an "audible click" at the radial head. The patient achieved significant improvement solely through physical therapy and observation., Diagnoses: The patient was diagnosed with radial nerve palsy in the newborn combined with CRHD., Interventions: The patient received regular physical therapy including joint function training, low-frequency pulse electrical therapy, acupuncture, paraffin treatment, as well as overnight splint immobilization., Outcomes: The child could actively extend the wrist to a neutral position and extend all fingers., Lessons: If a neonate exhibits limited extension in the wrist and fingers, but normal flexion, along with normal shoulder and elbow movement, and is accompanied by skin lesions around the elbow, there should be a high suspicion of radial nerve palsy in the newborn., Competing Interests: The authors have no funding and conflicts of interest to disclose., (Copyright © 2024 the Author(s). Published by Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc.)

Objectives: To determine the radial nerve palsy (RNP) rate and predictors of injury after humeral nonunion repair in a large multicenter sample., Design: Consecutive retrospective cohort review., Setting: Eighteen academic orthopedic trauma centers., Patients/participants: Three hundred seventy-nine adult patients who underwent humeral shaft nonunion repair. Exclusion criteria were pathologic fracture and complete motor RNP before nonunion surgery., Intervention: Humeral shaft nonunion repair and assessment of postoperative radial nerve function., Main Outcome: Measurements: Demographics, nonunion characteristics, preoperative and postoperative radial nerve function and recovery., Results: Twenty-six (6.9%) of 379 patients (151 M, 228 F, ages 18-93 years) had worse radial nerve function after nonunion repair. This did not differ by surgical approach. Only location in the middle third of the humerus correlated with RNP (P = 0.02). A total of 15.8% of patients with iatrogenic nerve injury followed for a minimum of 12 months did not resolve. For those who recovered, resolution averaged 5.4 months. On average, partial/complete palsies resolved at 2.6 and 6.5 months, respectively. Sixty-one percent (20/33) of patients who presented with nerve injury before their nonunion surgery resolved., Conclusion: In a large series of patients treated operatively for humeral shaft nonunion, the RNP rate was 6.9%. Among patients with postoperative iatrogenic RNP, the rate of persistent RNP was 15.8%. This finding is more generalizable than previous reports. Midshaft fractures were associated with palsy, while surgical approach was not., Level of Evidence: Therapeutic Level IV. See Instructions for Authors for a complete description of levels of evidence.

Traumatic and iatrogenic neurological complications associated with paediatric supracondylar humeral fractures are well recognised. The severity of the nerve injury associated with supracondylar humeral fractures can be difficult to assess clinically and relies upon clinical progression or absence of recovery and neurophysiology. It is accepted that complete nerve palsy with neurophysiological complete block and absence of clinical recovery after three months requires surgical exploration and reconstruction. However, we argue that even a partial nerve palsy that is failing to recover as expected by 3 months should be explored even when the neurophysiology suggests the nerve is in continuity. We report two cases of closed Gartland type III paediatric extension-type supracondylar humeral fractures treated with closed reduction and percutaneous pinning and open reduction and internal fixation, respectively. Both children developed persistent postoperative radial nerve motor palsy. Neurophysiological studies sought prior to exploration indicated a degree of sensory nerve function in both cases, indicating a nerve in continuity. Subsequent surgical exploration revealed interfragmentary radial nerve compression at the fracture site at two levels in one case and at one level in the second case. The site of compression was excised and the nerve grafted. Excellent near-normal radial nerve recovery was achieved except for the persistent loss of extensor carpi radialis function in the first child. We publish these findings to highlight the possibility of misinterpreting the incomplete nerve lesion and the neurophysiology of a nerve in continuity, as a nerve that would spontaneously recover. At exploration, in these two cases, it was clear by the level of interfragmentary compression that the nerve would not have recovered without surgical intervention. We recommend exploration and repair of the radial nerve, when function to the nerve is compromised, even in the face of neurophysiological evidence of an intact nerve.

This study aims to evaluate the value of electrophysiological examination and high frequency ultrasonography in the differential diagnosis of radial nerve torsion and radial nerve compression.Patients with radial nerve torsion (n = 14) and radial nerve compression (n = 14) were enrolled. The results of neurophysiological and high frequency ultrasonography were compared.Electrophysiological examination and high-frequency ultrasonography had a high diagnostic rate for both diseases with consistent results. Of the 28 patients, 23 were positive for electrophysiological examination, showing decreased amplitude and decreased conduction velocity of radial nerve; however, electrophysiological examination cannot distinguish torsion from compression. A total of 27 cases showed positive in ultrasound examinations among all 28 cases. On ultrasound images, the nerve was thinned at torsion site whereas thickened at the distal ends of torsion. The diameter and cross-sectional area of torsion or compression determined the nerve damage, and ultrasound could locate the nerve injury site and measure the length of the nerve.Electrophysiological examination and high-frequency ultrasonography can diagnose radial neuropathy, with electrophysiological examination reflecting the neurological function, and high-frequency ultrasound differentiating nerve torsion from compression., (Copyright © 2017 The Authors. Published by Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc. All rights reserved.)

Objectives: To determine the rate of iatrogenic radial nerve palsy (RNP) after surgical repair of established humeral shaft nonunion (HSNU)., Design: Retrospective chart review., Setting: Level I trauma center., Patients/participants: Fifty-four patients with HSNU, 10 (18.5%) of whom developed an iatrogenic RNP after nonunion repair., Intervention: HSNU repair with compression plate stabilization with or without autogenous bone graft., Main Outcome Measurements: Postoperative iatrogenic RNP., Results: Ten (18.5%) patients developed iatrogenic radial nerve palsies: 8 experienced complete resolution (mean, 2.5 months) and 2 experienced partial resolution. There were no statistically significant differences between patients who developed nerve palsy and those who did not in regard to age, gender, tobacco use, diabetic status, previous RNP, initial management (operative vs. nonoperative), surgical approach, presence of infected nonunion, number of previous surgeries, or operative time (P > 0.05)., Conclusions: The occurrence of iatrogenic RNP for patients undergoing surgical repair of an HSNU was 18.5%. According to historical data, this rate is nearly 3 times higher than for those undergoing open reduction and internal fixation of either acute humeral shaft fractures or HSNUs., Level of Evidence: Therapeutic Level IV. See Instructions for Authors for a complete description of Levels of Evidence.

We retrospectively reviewed supracondylar distal humeral fractures that had been treated with fracture-specific plating and definitive fixation through a lateral approach with a medial triceps mobilization technique. We determined the incidences of preoperative and postoperative radial nerve palsies (RNP) to evaluate the impact of the plating and fixation technique on RNP. Seventy-three patients treated at our institution from 2006 through 2009 were included in the study. The patients were assigned to 2 groups: 57 to the blunt injury group (motor vehicle collisions, falls, struck pedestrians, throwing) and 16 to the gunshot wound group. The incidence of known preoperative RNP in the blunt injury group was 27% (13 of 48 nonintubated patients); the incidence of known preoperative RNP in the gunshot wound group was 20% (2 of 10 nonintubated patients). The incidence of postoperative RNP for the combined groups of nonintubated patients who had intact radial nerve function preoperatively was 12% (5 of 43 patients). We found a high frequency of preoperative RNP, and we found postoperative RNP rates similar to those reported in the literature despite the use of the lateral approach medial triceps mobilization technique with a fracture-specific plate.

Background: Radial nerve palsy in the neonate is a rare clinical entity but must be distinguished from the more common brachial plexus birth palsy which occurs during the perinatal period. Although longer term upper-limb function following brachial plexus birth palsy is highly variable depending on the extent of neurological involvement, sparse reports of neonates with radial nerve palsy have nearly universal spontaneous recovery with normal upper-limb function., Methods: We report 4 cases of patients born with findings consistent with radial nerve palsy., Results: All 4 cases of neonatal radial nerve palsy supported a common etiology of intrauterine compression and resulted in spontaneous recovery of radial nerve function., Conclusion: Neonatal radial nerve palsy should be suspected in newborns presenting with absent wrist and digital extension but intact deltoid, biceps, and triceps function with wrist and digital flexor function. The presence of ecchymosis and/or fat necrosis along the posterolateral brachium may support the notion that neonatal radial nerve palsy is caused by a compression injury during or before labor. Complete spontaneous recovery of radial nerve function may be anticipated if there is no associated infectious or constriction band pathology.

Muscle strength was assessed in 11 patients with radial or posterior interosseus palsy. Apparent weakness was found in the dorsal and palmar interossei and the abductor digiti minimi. These muscles insert on the extensor expansions, and their activation is associated with concomitant contraction of finger flexors and extensors. This apparent weakness may be due to their unopposed traction on the extensor expansion by the paralyzed extensor digitorum.

Learning Objectives: After studying this article, the participant should be able to: 1. Identify all potential points of radial nerve compression and other likely causes of radial nerve injury. 2. Accurately diagnose both surgical and nonsurgical causes of radial nerve paralysis. 3. Define a safe and effective approach to the surgical release and reconstruction of the radial nerve. Radial nerve paralysis, which can result from a complex humerus fracture, direct nerve trauma, compressive neuropathies, neuritis, or (rarely) from malignant tumor formation, has been reported throughout the literature, with some controversy regarding its diagnosis and management. The appropriate management of any radial nerve palsy depends primarily on an accurate determination of its cause, severity, duration, and level of involvement. The radial nerve can be injured as proximally as the brachial plexus or as distally as the posterior interosseous or radial sensory nerve. This article reviews the etiology, prognosis, and various treatments available for radial nerve paralysis. It also provides a new classification system and treatment algorithm to assist in the management of patients with radial nerve palsies, and it offers a simple, five-step approach to radial nerve release in the forearm.