Flexopathy

Plexopathy (plexitis) - the defeat of the nerve plexus (cervical, brachial and lumbosacral). The most common lesion is the brachial plexus.

Etiology. Trauma (childbirth, dislocation of the shoulder joint, car accident, compression during prolonged anesthesia or prolonged wearing on the shoulder of large weights - "rucksack paralysis", knife wound), infection (herpes zoster), autoimmune disorders (serum administration), tumors (apical carcinoma Lung), radiation (radiotherapy), upper chest aperture syndrome (cervical ribs, clavic bone callus).

Clinic. There are three types of shoulder plexopathy. If the roots of C5 and C6 are damaged, Erb's syndrome arises: paralysis of the deltoid muscle (impossibility of deflection of the arm), paralysis of the biceps brachial and suprarulatory muscles (impossibility of flexion of the forearm), paralysis of the supra- and subacute muscles (impossibility of external rotation, prolapse of the reflex with m. Biceps, anesthesia Over the outer upper part of the shoulder).

When the roots of C8 and D1 are damaged, Dejerine-Clumpke syndrome arises: palsy of the hand, Horner's syndrome (indication of the detachment of the roots from the spinal cord). With total defeat of the brachial plexus, the paralysis of the muscles of the same shoulder half of the brachial girdle and the entire arm develops and a loss of sensitivity in these zones.

One of the variants of shoulder plexopathy is neuralgic amyotrophy: after violent pains in the shoulder there is massive atrophic paralysis of the proximal parts of the upper limb. The autoimmune genesis of this suffering is assumed.