Brachial Plexopathies: Update on Treatment

摘要

Although there are multiple BP etiologies, non-traumatic causes are particularly unrecognized by clinicians, leading to misdiagnoses and delay in appropriate therapies. Recent data suggests that idiopathic neuralgic amyotrophy may be 50-fold more common than previously thought, with poorer outcomes than reported unless rapid diagnosis is followed by a multidisciplinary approach to treatment, including surgery for refractory cases. Advances in diagnostic imaging reduce time to treatment, if proper recognition by primary providers leads to rapid referral to neurologists. Due to rarity, heterogeneity, and overlap of different BP syndromes, development of treatment strategies is still based on case series and retrospective studies. Despite advances in surgical therapies, there are no randomized trials to guide optimal approaches to treatment in either traumatic or non-traumatic cases.