Functional Outcome Following Traumatic Peripheral Nerve Injury Repair in a Tertiary Care Hospital in South India - An Observational Study
BACKGROUND Peripheral nerve injuries (PNIs) often accompany trauma to limbs and is a major cause of morbidity. Various surgical techniques are described for nerve repair and various factors influence the functional outcome after repair. This study intends to assess the functional outcome following PNI repair and various factors affecting the final outcome post repair. In this study we wanted to assess the functional outcome of PNI repair done at our institute. METHODS This is a prospective observational study conducted at the Department of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, Government Medical College, Thiruvananthapuram, India, from September 2017 to September 2019 (24 months) in patients with a diagnosis of traumatic peripheral nerve injury. Data collected were analysed by statistical programme for social sciences (SPSS) version 20. Quantitative variables were expressed in mean & standard deviation (SD) and qualitative variables were expressed in proportions. Associations were tested by chi-square test. RESULTS A total of 100 patients were studied. Overall satisfactory sensory outcome was found to be 45.2% in median nerve and 45.5 % in ulnar nerve injuries (P value - 0.492). Overall satisfactory motor outcome was found to be 45.2 % in median nerve and 36.3 % in ulnar nerve injuries (P value - 0.391). Age < 40 years was found to be significantly associated with a good sensory and motor recovery. Diabetes mellitus was associated with a poor sensory and motor outcome compared to patients without any comorbidities. Use of nerve grafts was associated with less sensory recovery compared to primary nerve coaptation (P value - 0.496). Nerve repairs done between 4 - 7 days of injury had better sensory and motor outcome. CONCLUSIONS Traumatic peripheral nerve repair has a variable functional outcome and is dependent on various factors like age and other patient related factors, mechanism of injury and the type of nerve repair. Accurate diagnosis, attention to detail and timely intervention can improve the overall functional outcome. KEYWORDS Peripheral Nerve Injury, Nerve Repair, Functional Outcome