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The prefixed and postfixed brachial plexus: a review with surgical implications

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Abstract

The definition of a pre and postfixed brachial plexus is varied in the literature, which results in inconsistent conclusions for various studies. As anatomical variation is important both during clinical evaluation and surgical procedures of the brachial plexus, a review of this literature was performed. Based on our review, variation in the contribution to the brachial plexus is more the rule than the exception. These variations may lead to deviation from the expected dermatome distribution as well as differences in the motor innervation of muscles of the upper limb. Such variations may predispose patients to certain pathology such as thoracic outlet syndrome and may alter surgical approaches to the brachial plexus.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Anatomical Sciences, School of Medicine, St. George’s University, St. George’s, Grenada, West Indies

    Megan Pellerin, Zachary Kimball, Snow Nguyen & Marios Loukas

  2. Pediatric Neurosurgery, Children’s Hospital, Birmingham, AL, USA

    R. Shane Tubbs

  3. Department of Anatomy, University of Medicine and Pharmacy Victor Babes, Timisoara, Romania

    Petru Matusz

  4. Indianapolis Neurosurgical Group, Clarian Neuroscience Institute, Indianapolis, IN, USA

    Aaron A. Cohen-Gadol

  5. Department of Neurosurgery, Indiana University, Indianapolis, IN, USA

    Aaron A. Cohen-Gadol

Authors
  1. Megan Pellerin
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  2. Zachary Kimball
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  3. R. Shane Tubbs
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  4. Snow Nguyen
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  5. Petru Matusz
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  6. Aaron A. Cohen-Gadol
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  7. Marios Loukas
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Correspondence to Marios Loukas.

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This article is part of a special issue on “Nerves of the upper limb”.

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Pellerin, M., Kimball, Z., Tubbs, R.S. et al. The prefixed and postfixed brachial plexus: a review with surgical implications. Surg Radiol Anat 32, 251–260 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00276-009-0619-3

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00276-009-0619-3

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