Quality of Life after Brachial Plexus Lesions in Adults

Brachial plexus lesions are among the most severe injuries of the upper extremity. Despite intensive conservative and surgical treatment efforts, patients frequently suffer from serious impairments in the quality of life. This contribution presents the results of a retrospective clinical survey on the quality of life after brachial plexus injuries. Out of 38 treated patients, 25 patients could be included in the study. The disability of arm, shoulder and hand was evaluated by the DASH score and the quality of life by the FLZ(m), a questionnaire on life satisfaction. In addition, demographic data, work situation and mechanism and type of injury were recorded. The examined patients were mainly young males who were injured in traffic, in particular motorcycle accidents. The DASH score analysis revealed that plexus injuries are among the most disabling injuries of the upper extremity. The associated restrictions in the different sections of the quality of life involve not only the health-related section but also partnership, family and leisure time activities. A strong relation between the possibility to return to work and the quality of life was found. We recommend the use of the DASH score and the FLZ(m) questionnaire on life satisfaction as routine tools for the evaluation of the therapeutic outcome after brachial plexus injuries.