When she regained consciousness, her parents noticed that she had weakness and reduced muscle power in her right upper limb. (Representational Image)Doctors at Jehangir Hospital in Pune performed a complex surgery on a six-year-old girl from Yemen, after she was found to have suffered a Traumatic Brachial Plexus Injury, which left her right upper limb paralysed. In a statement issued on Thursday, the doctors said that the surgery was microscopic and was extremely specialised.
Aya Mohammed, who had been in a road accident six months ago, was brought unresponsive to the emergency department of a hospital in Aden and remained unconscious for three months. When she regained consciousness, her parents noticed that she had weakness and reduced muscle power in her right upper limb. Her condition did not improve over time and she was eventually unable to lift her arm up or bend her elbow. Her parents then found out about the Pediatric Hand Surgery department at Jehangir Hospital.
”The brachial plexus is a complex network of nerves that originate near the neck and shoulder,” said Dr Abhijeet L Wahegaonkar, Adjunct Professor of Hand Surgery at Jehangir Hospital. “These nerves control the hand, wrist, elbow and shoulder. Brachial plexus injuries most commonly occur after an accident, sports injury or during childbirth and can leave the arm without function.”
Aya’s nerves were cut during her accident, which caused her right upper limb to be paralysed. Though Brachial Plexus Birth Palsy is more frequently seen in infants and children, Traumatic Brachial Plexus Injury is extremely rare in children, with an incidence of less than 0.1 per cent. “In my 20 years of practice, this is the first such case that I have seen,” Dr Wahegaonkar said. “Usually, such injuries are seen at birth-during forceps delivery or a traumatic injury. Even in road accidents, such injuries are usually seen in adults. Should the limb not recover in 4-6 months, surgery is the only recourse of treatment in such cases.”
The surgery, which took place on August 24, lasted about 7 hours with an inter-disciplinary team of pediatric hand and microvascular reconstructive surgeons, paediatricians, neurologists, anaesthesists and physiotherapists. Dr Wahegaonkar explained that the surgery was challenging, as “the nerves in children are particularly small and delicate.” He added, “It’s an extremely risky area, with several vital structures in the vicinity. Also, the surgeries and treatment are time-bound. We spent a week in preparation of the surgery and the post-operative care will continue for the next six months.”
