Article

In the context of lower (C8-T1) brachial plexus injury, transfer of the lateral
antebrachial cutaneous nerve (LABCN) to the dorsal branch of the ulnar nerve
(DBUN) with an interposed sural nerve graft has been proposed to restore
sensitivity on the ulnar side of the hand. The purpose of this study was to
assess the feasibility of performing this transfer directly - without
interposition of a nerve graft -
by intraneural dissection of the DBUN. An
anatomical study was performed with 20 upper limbs from adult human cadavers. The
LABCN and the DBUN were dissected. The LABCN emerged from the lateral side of the
biceps brachii muscle at an average of 2.6+/-0.4cm from the interepicondylar line
and was 13.5+/-2.6cm long, on average. The DBUN arose from the ulnar nerve
8.2+/-1.6cm from the styloid process of the ulna. The maximum length of DBUN
intraneural dissection relative to the ulnar nerve was 7.5+/-2.1cm, on average.
The LABCN could be transferred to the DBUN in a tension-free manner with
end-to-end suturing. Intraneural dissection of the DBUN allows LABCN nerve
transfer without interposition of a graft.
CI - Copyright (c) 2017 SFCM. Published by Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.

Langue : ANGLAIS