Clinic and Comparative Study on the Choice of the Recipient Nerve of the Spinal Accessory Nerve Transfer for Restoration of Shoulder Abduction in Brachial Plexus Injury

Objective: To explore the best choice of recipient nerve for spinal accessory nerve transfer for treatment of the brachial plexus injury to restore shoulder abduction. Methods:To follow up 54 patients with spinal accessory nerve transfer for treatment of the brachial plexus injury.Observed and compared the reconstruction of the shoulder abduction. Results:The follow-up period were 9～34 months (averaged 16.6 months), shoulder abduction ≥30° was achieved in 75% of the patients for repair of the suprascapular nerve; Patients with axillary nerve as recipient nerve, shoulder abduction ≥30° was achieved in 33.3%; patients with the posterior division of upper trunk as recipient nerve, shoulder abduction ≥30° was achieved in 30.8%. Conclusion: Spinal accessory nerve transfer to restore shoulder abduction,outcomes in patients with suprascapular nerve as recipient nerve is significantly better than that in patients with axillary nerve or posterior division of upper trunk as recipient nerve, so the suprascapular nerve should be selected as the best choice of recipient nerve.