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Brachial Plexus Unit
Introduction
The Brachial Plexus Service at the Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust has been
caring for patients with brachial plexus injuries from around the country for
over 18 years. During this time valuable experience and expertise has been established
so that we are currently one of only a few centres in this country that have
the facillities and skilled staff to manage this injury comprehensively. This
unit has a strong interest in collaborative research into this specialist area
and has produced research in both adult and obstetrical palsies in combination
with the University
of Umea, Sweden.
The unit is part of the service provided by the Plastics, Hands and Reconstructive Surgery Department which is located on one site at St James's University Hospital in Chancellor's Wing. Patients who are referred from outside of the Leeds area may have their care shared with this department and their local hospital.
All new referrals to our unit will be clinically assessed either as an in-patient
on the ward or in our weekly Consultant led out-patient clinics, dependent on
the stage that the referrals are received post injury and the clinical stability
of the patient. Investigations including MRI, CT or nerve conduction studies
may be required and following assessment a discussion will occur with the patient
on whether primary nerve surgery is warranted. Ideally we operate on these injuries
at an early stage and when examination suggests that there has been a major
disruption to the plexus this is within a few weeks post injury. If there has
been arterial damage or an open wound they may be operated on as an emergency.
We believe and evidence suggests that operating on these injuries at an early
stage improves nerve recovery.
The operation initially involves establishing
the severity of the brachial plexus injury and the overall prognosis. Surgery
is then aimed at improving the prognosis by means of nerve repair or nerve transfer.
| Page last reviewed: 30/01/2006 | Page last updatred: 30/01/2006 | Next scheduled page review date: 30/09/2006 |