Post-Traumatic Brachial Plexus Root Avulsion: A Case Report

Abstract

Root avulsion corresponds to the tearing of the roots of the spinal cord by stretching during a trauma. The most incriminated etiologies are road accidents and obstetric trauma. It results clinically in total or partial paralysis of the limb concerned or neuropathic pain. MRI is the key diagnostic test. Here we report a case of post-traumatic brachial plexus root avulsion in a 61-year-old patient following a road accident. The MRI of the cervical plexus, performed one month after the trauma, revealed a pre-foraminal fluid-like lesion on the left next to the D1 conjugation hole, suggestive of a pseudomeningocele. MRI is the key diagnostic imaging tool. In fact, it establishes the lesion topography, whether pre or post-nodal, and enables the search for associated lesions.