Comparative study of pronator teres branch transfer and brachialis motor branch transfer to the anterior interosseous nerve to treat lower brachial plexus injury in rats

Summary Distal nerve transfer is used to treat lower brachial plexus palsy, but outcome series on these transfer procedures following lower plexus injuries are sparse. The objective of this study is to compare treatment outcomes after nerve transfer using the brachialis motor branch (BMB) versus using the pronator teres motor branch (PTMB). One hundred twenty adult rats with C8T1 nerve root avulsion were randomly divided into three groups (40 each): A: BMB transfer to the anterior interosseous nerve (AIN), B: PTMB transfer to the AIN, and C: no repair. The rats’ electrophysiological examination, muscle tension test, muscle weight and muscle fibre cross-sectional area of the flexor digitorum profundus and flexor pollicis longus, and number of myelinated nerve fibres in the AIN were compared among the groups to evaluate the treatment outcome. Nerve regeneration and muscle recovery in group B was better than that in group A at 4 and 8 weeks postoperatively (P