Active shoulder external rotation recovery in upper brachial plexus birth injury following nerve surgery: is spinal accessory nerve–suprascapular nerve transfer superior to C5–suprascapular nerve grafting?

Key Points

• This research aims to evaluate the effectiveness of spinal accessory nerve–suprascapular nerve transfer versus C5–suprascapular nerve grafting for shoulder recovery after brachial plexus injury.
• Comparative analysis of two surgical approaches: nerve transfer and nerve grafting.
• Assessment of active shoulder external rotation post-surgery.
• Evaluation of trapezius muscle loss and its long-term implications.
• Spinal accessory nerve transfer resulted in superior active external rotation in the shoulder compared to nerve grafting.
• Long-term effects of trapezius muscle loss are still uncertain but warrant further investigation.