Peripheral nerve injuries in the pediatric population: a review of the literature. Part I: traumatic nerve injuries

Objective This article reviews the clinical results that can be obtained after repair of a traumatic peripheral nerve injury in the pediatric population. Methods A systematic review of the published literature has been made. Results Functional outcome after major nerve injuries is sometimes disappoi...

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Published in:Child's nervous system Vol. 35; no. 1; pp. 29 - 35
Main Authors: Costales, Javier Robla, Socolovsky, Mariano, Sánchez Lázaro, Jaime A., Álvarez García, Rubén
Format: Journal Article
Language:English
Published: Berlin/Heidelberg Springer Berlin Heidelberg 01.01.2019
Subjects:
Adolescent
Child
Child, Preschool
Humans
Infant
Infant, Newborn
Medicine
Medicine & Public Health
Neurosciences
Neurosurgery
Neurosurgical Procedures
Pediatrics - methods
Peripheral Nerve Injuries - pathology
Peripheral Nerve Injuries - surgery
Peripheral Nerve Injuries - therapy
Review Paper
Trauma, Nervous System - pathology
Trauma, Nervous System - surgery
Trauma, Nervous System - therapy
Treatment Outcome
Traumatic nerve lesion
Peripheral nerve injury
Pediatric patients
Nerve section
ISSN:0256-7040, 1433-0350, 1433-0350
Online Access:Get full text
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Summary:Objective This article reviews the clinical results that can be obtained after repair of a traumatic peripheral nerve injury in the pediatric population. Methods A systematic review of the published literature has been made. Results Functional outcome after major nerve injuries is sometimes disappointing in adults. However, children have been reported to experience much better functional results after nerve repair than adults. Moreover, recovery generally is faster in children. The superior capacity of children’s central nervous system to adapt to external or internal environmental changes (neural plasticity) and the shorter recovery distance from the axon repair site to the target muscle are claimed to be crucial determinants of their favorable outcomes. Moreover, even in the pediatric population, it has been demonstrated that functional results are better the younger the patient is, including better clinical results in those injured in early childhood (< 6 years old) than in those injured in adolescence. Other favorable prognostic factors include the type of nerve injury (with complete transections doing less well than crush injuries) and the timing of surgery (with better outcomes after early repairs). Conclusions All efforts should be done to repair in a timely and adequate fashion traumatic peripheral nerve injuries in children, as the results are good.
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ISSN:0256-7040
1433-0350
1433-0350
DOI:10.1007/s00381-018-3974-8