Lepra de presentación focal en un paciente con mononeuropatía cubital en Uruguay / Focal presentation leprosy in a patient with ulnar mononeuropathy in Uruguay

La lepra, o enfermedad de Hansen (EH), es una enfermedad infectocontagiosa crónica de evolución lenta, causada por el bacilo Mycobacterium Leprae. Resulta un problema de salud importante en áreas endémicas con un gran impacto en la calidad de vida de los pacientes. Actualmente, se presenta como una causa infrecuente de neuropatía en nuestra región, pero su sospecha diagnóstica y su tratamiento precoz repercute a nivel pronóstico y funcional. Nuestro objetivo es analizar un caso único de Enfermedad de Hansen en nuestro país, haciendo enfoque en la presentación clínica y el abordaje médico-quirúrgico. Se presenta un paciente con un cuadro de debilidad progresiva de mano izquierda y una lesión de piel cronificada a nivel de codo, cuyos hallazgos clínicos, neurofisiológicos e imagenológicos fueron concordantes con una lesión del nervio cubital por atrapamiento en el conducto epitrócleo-olecraneano. La anatomía patológica mostró un proceso granulomatoso crónico y la baciloscopia fue positiva para bacilos ácido-alcohol resistentes con coloración de Hansel positiva, haciéndose diagnóstico de mononeuropatía cubital secundaria a infección por M. Leprae. Dada la severidad del compromiso nervioso, se realiza cirugía de nervio periférico con epineurotomía y descompresión nerviosa. En el caso de nuestro paciente con neuropatía cubital secundaria a enfermedad de Hansen, la cirugía descompresiva fue exitosa en el alivio del dolor, mostrándose como una opción terapéutica de relevancia en este tipo de pacientes(AU)

Leprosy, or Hansen disease, is a cronic infectious-contagious illness of slow progression that is caused by the bacillus Mycobacterium Leprae. It continues to be a major health problem in endemic areas and has a great impact on the quality of life of patients who suffer from it. It is currently presented as an infrequent cause of neuropathy in our region, but its diagnostic suspicion and therefore its early treatment have repercussions at the prognostic and functional level. Our goal is to analyze a unique case of Hansen's disease in our country, focusing on the clinical presentation and the medical-surgical approach. We present a patient with progressive weakness of the left hand and a chronic skin lesion at the level of the elbow, whose clinical, neurophysiological and imaging findings were consistent with an ulnar nerve injury due to entrapment in the epitrochlear-olecranon canal. The pathology showed a chronic granulomatous process; then bacilloscopy was performed, which was positive for acid-fast bacilli with positive Hansel staining, making a diagnosis of ulnar mononeuropathy secondary to infection by M. Leprae. Given the severity of the nerve involvement, peripheral nerve surgery with epineurotomy and nerve decompression was performed.In the case of our patient with ulnar neuropathy secondary to Hansen's disease, decompressive surgery was successful in relieving pain, proving to be a relevant therapeutic option in this type of patient

Clinical outcomes report in different brachial plexus injury surgeries: a systematic review.

Brachial plexus injury is a lesion that results in loss of function of the arm, and there are multiple ways of surgically approaching its treatment. Controlled trials that compare all surgical repair strategies and their clinical outcomes have not been performed. A systematic review was conducted to identify all articles that reported clinical outcomes in different surgeries (nerve transfer, nerve graft, neurolysis, end-to-end, multiple interventions, and others). Advanced search in PubMed was performed using the Mesh terms "brachial plexus injury" as the main topic and "surgery" as a subtopic, obtaining a total of 2153 articles. The clinical data for eligibility extraction was focused on collecting motor, sensory, pain, and functional recovery. A statistical analysis was performed to find the superior surgical techniques in terms of motor recovery, through the assessment of heterogeneity between groups, and of relationships between surgery and motor recovery. The frequency and the manner in which clinical outcomes are recording were described. The differences that correspond to the demographics and procedural factors were not statistically significant among groups (p > 0.05). Neurolysis showed the highest proportion of motor recovery (85.18%), with significant results between preoperative and post-operative motor assessment (p = 0.028). The proportion of motor recovery in each group according to the surgical approach differed significantly (X2 = 82.495, p = 0.0001). The motor outcome was the most reported clinical outcome (97.56%), whereas the other clinical outcomes were reported in less than 15% of the included articles. Unexpectedly, neurolysis, a technique displaced by new surgical alternatives such as nerve transfer/graft, demonstrated the highest proportion of motor recovery. Clinical outcomes such as pain, sensory, and functional recovery were infrequently reported. These results introduce the need to re-evaluate neurolysis through comparative clinical trials, as well as to standardize the way in which clinical outcomes are reported.

Neonatal brachial plexus palsy: a permanent challenge / Paralisia do plexo braquial neonatal: um desafio permanente

Neonatal brachial plexus palsy (NBPP) has an incidence of 1.5 cases per 1000 live births and it has not declined despite recent advances in obstetrics. Most patients will recover spontaneously, but some will remain severely handicapped. Rehabilitation is important in most cases and brachial plexus surgery can improve the functional outcome of selected patients. This review highlights the current management of infants with NBPP, including conservative and operative approaches.

A paralisia neonatal do plexo braquial (PNPB) tem uma incidência de 1,5 casos por 1000 nascidos vivos e não tem diminuído a despeito dos recentes avanços em obstetrícia. A maioria dos pacientes recupera-se espontaneamente, mas alguns permanecerão com sequelas graves. A reabilitação é importante na maioria dos casos e a cirurgia do plexo braquial pode melhorar o resultado funcional em pacientes selecionados. Esta revisão destaca o manejo atual de lactentes com PNPB, incluindo as terapêuticas conservadora e cirúrgica.

Traumatic injuries of peripheral nerves: a review with emphasis on surgical indication / Lesoes traumaticas de nervos perifericos: uma revisao com enfase na indicacao cirurgica

Traumatic peripheral nerve injury is a dramatic condition present in many of the injuries to the upper and lower extremities. An understanding of its physiopathology and selection of a suitable time for surgery are necessary for proper treatment of this challenging disorder. This article reviews the physiopathology of traumatic peripheral nerve injury, considers the most used classification, and discusses the main aspects of surgical timing and treatment of such a condition.

Traumatismos dos nervos periféricos resultam em lesões incapacitantes e estão presentes em muitas das lesões dos membros. A compreensão da fisiopatologia dessas lesões e a seleção do momento operatório mais adequado são imprescindíveis para que o tratamento seja adequado. Neste artigo revisamos a fisiopatologia das lesões traumáticas dos nervos periféricos, apresentamos a classificação mais utilizada dessas lesões e discutimos os principais aspectos relacionados ao momento da cirurgia e às formas de reparo cirúrgico.

Distal anterior interosseous nerve transfer to the deep ulnar nerve and end-to-side suture of the superficial ulnar nerve to the third common palmar digital nerve for treatment of high ulnar nerve injuries: experience in five cases / Transferência do nervo interósseo anterior distal para o ramo profundo do nervo ulnar e sutura término-lateral do nervo ulnar superficial ao terceiro nervo digital comum para tratamento de lesões altas do nervo ulnar: experiência em cinco casos

OBJECTIVE: To demonstrate the results of a double nerve transfer at the level of the hand for recovery of the motor and sensory function of the hand in cases of high ulnar nerve injuries. METHOD: Five patients underwent a transfer of the distal branch of the anterior interosseous nerve to the deep ulnar nerve, and an end-to-side suture of the superficial ulnar nerve to the third common palmar digital nerve. RESULTS: Two patients recovered strength M3 and three cases were graded as M4; recovery of protective sensation (S3+ in three patients and S4 in two) was observed in the fourth and fifth fingers, and at the hypothenar region. The monofilament test showed values of 3.61 or less in all cases and the two-point discrimination test demonstrated values of 7 mm in three cases and 5 mm in two. CONCLUSION: This technique of double nerve transfer is effective for motor and sensory recovery of the distal ulnar-innervated side of the hand.

OBJETIVO: Demonstrar os resultados obtidos com uma dupla transferência nervosa ao nível da mão para tratamento de lesões do nervo ulnar localizadas acima do cotovelo. MÉTODO: Cinco pacientes foram submetidos à transferência do nervo interósseo anterior para o ramo profundo do nervo ulnar, associado à sutura término-lateral do nervo ulnar superficial ao terceiro nervo digital comum. RESULTADOS: Dois pacientes recuperaram força M3 e os outros três casos foram graduados como M4. Recuperação de sensibilidade protetora (S3+ em três pacientes e S4 em dois) foi observada nos quarto e quinto dedos, além da região hipotenar. O teste de monofilamentos demonstrou valores iguais ou menores do que 3,61 em todos os casos e o teste de discriminação de dois pontos apresentou valores de 7 mm em três casos e 5 mm em dois. CONCLUSÃO: A técnica de dupla transferência nervosa é eficaz como modalidade de tratamento para lesões altas do nervo ulnar.