Radial nerve injuries and outcomes: Our experience

Background: The purpose of this study was to evaluate retrospectively the patients who had undergone radial nerve reconstruction. Methods: The medical charts of 35 patients with radial nerve lesions and 13 patients with superficial radial nerve lesions who underwent surgical exploration and repair in the authors' center were reviewed. The outcomes were analyzed in relation to various factors, such as age at injury, denervation time, level of injury, length of nerve graft, and type of reconstruction. Results: With regard to the radial nerve, good and excellent motor results were seen in 27 of 35 cases (77.14 percent). Postoperative lateral pinch and grip strength of the affected side were equal to 75.49 percent and 76.42 percent of those of the nonaffected side, respectively. Patient age, level of injury, denervation time, associated nerve injuries, length of nerve graft, and type of surgical reconstruction significantly influenced the functional outcome. For the superficial radial nerve, good and excellent sensory results were seen in 10 of 13 cases (76.92 percent). Postoperatively, pain scores were graded as excellent in 69.23 percent and as good in 23.07 percent of patients. Conclusions: Better functional results were achieved in younger patients, with denervation time of 3 months or less, in lesions in continuity, in patients without associated nerve injuries, in distal lesions, with neurolysis, and with nerve grafts less than or equal to 5 cm long. Functional outcomes following microsurgical repair of radial nerve injuries are encouraging and should be pursued.