Copyright: ©Author(s) 2026. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license. No commercial re-use. See permissions. Published by Baishideng Publishing Group Inc.
Management and outcome of blunt traumatic brachial plexus injuries in adult trauma patients: A retrospective study
Hassan Al-Thani, Ayman El-Menyar, Mohammad Asim, Yadulla Syed, Syed Imran Ghouri, Mohammed Muneer, Ammar Al-Hassani, Maryam Al-Sulaiti, Abdelhakem Tabeb
Hassan Al-Thani, Ammar Al-Hassani, Maryam Al-Sulaiti, Abdelhakem Tabeb, Department of Surgery, Hamad Medical Corporation, Doha 3050, Qatar
Ayman El-Menyar, Mohammad Asim, Department of Surgery, Trauma and Vascular Clinical research, Hamad Medical Corporation, Doha 3050, Qatar
Ayman El-Menyar, Department of Clinical Medicine, Weill Cornell Medicine, Doha 24144, Qatar
Yadulla Syed, Department of Physiotherapy, Hamad Medical Corporation, Doha 3050, Qatar
Syed Imran Ghouri, Department of Orthopedic, Hamad Medical Corporation, Doha 3050, Qatar
Mohammed Muneer, Department of Surgery, Plastic Surgery, Hamad Medical Corporation, Doha 3050, Qatar
Author contributions: Al-Thani H contributed to conceptualization, methodology, writing, Al-Thani H and El-Menyar A contributed to formal analysis; Asim M and El-Menyar A contributed to data curation; El-Menyar A, Asim M, Al-Hassani A, Syed Y, Ghouri SI, Muneer M, Al-Sulaiti M, Tabeb A contributed to writing; all authors have read and agreed to the published version of the manuscript.
AI contribution statement: The language has been polished using Grammarly. The entire content of the main text (abstract, introduction, materials and methods, results, discussion and conclusion) of the article was not generated by artificial intelligence.
Institutional review board statement: This study was approved by the Research Ethics Committee at Medical Research Center, Hamad Medical Corporation. No direct contact with participants, and data were collected anonymously and retrospectively.
Informed consent statement: Not applicable for this retrospective analysis, and it has been waived by the institutional board review.
Conflict-of-interest statement: All the authors report no relevant conflicts of interest for this article.
Data sharing statement: sharing statement: Summarized data are given in the manuscript and tables, while de-identified raw data may be available upon reasonable request and subject to the required institutional approvals.
Corresponding author: Ayman El-Menyar, MD, Department of Surgery, Hamad Medical Corporation, Al-Rayyan Street, Doha 3050, Qatar.
aymanco65@yahoo.com
Received: March 24, 2026
Revised: April 14, 2026
Accepted: May 13, 2026
Published online: June 18, 2026
Processing time: 85 Days and 16.3 Hours
BACKGROUND
Traumatic brachial plexus injury (TBPI) is a debilitating condition characterized by nerve damage that impairs sensation and movement in the upper extremities.
AIM
To study the clinical presentation, management, and outcomes of TBPI.
METHODS
This retrospective observational study analyzed adults with TBPI between 2010 and 2024. Collected data encompassed demographics, injury severity and characteristics, management, and functional status.
RESULTS
Thirty-six TBPI patients were analyzed (94.4% male, mean age 28.6 years). Crashes involving motor vehicles (41.7%) and motorcycles (13.9%) were the primary causes. Pan-plexus injuries predominated (52.8%), followed by upper (30.6%) and lower (16.7%) TBPI, predominantly affecting nerve roots (55.6%). Associated injuries included humerus (16.7%), clavicle (16.7%), rib (13.9%), and spinal fractures (13.9%). Long-term outcomes were generally poor: 66.7% showed no recovery, 16.7% partial improvement, and only 16.7% full recovery.
CONCLUSION
This study highlights the significant functional deficits associated with TBPI. Conservative management constituted the primary treatment strategy; however, most patients exhibited persistent deficits. Motor recovery outcomes were notably limited, whereas sensory recovery showed comparatively more improvement. Surgical intervention was infrequent, reflecting the complexity of management. Overall, TBPI is severely debilitating with a low probability of complete functional restoration, emphasizing the critical need for early diagnosis, a multidisciplinary team, intervention, and sustained rehabilitation. Future multicenter studies should identify predictors to optimize surgical timing relative to conservative care.
Core Tip: Traumatic brachial plexus injury (TBPI) is a debilitating condition characterized by nerve damage that impairs sensation and movement in the upper extremities. TBPI are uncommon in polytrauma. Those patients not only experience physical impairments, such as loss of movement and sensation, but also significant psychological and financial challenges that impact their overall quality of life. Conservative management constituted the primary treatment strategy; however, most patients exhibited persistent deficits. Motor recovery outcomes were particularly poor in 25% of patients with no muscle contraction. In contrast, sensory recovery demonstrated comparatively better results. Surgical intervention was pursued in a minority of cases, using techniques such as nerve and tendon transfers, indicating the inherent complexity of managing TBPI. This highlights the crucial importance of early diagnosis, prompt intervention, a multidisciplinary team, and rehabilitation.
