Management of ulnar nerve injuries

Abstract

Ulnar nerve injuries are common in young people. When there is a delay in the diagnosis and surgical management, the results are usually poor and can be permanent. Nerve grafting procedures were carried out in 85 patients with ulnar nerve injuries and 30 patients with both ulnar and median nerve injuries between 1981 and 1992. The patients could be divided into three categories according to the level of the trauma. Group A with injuries in the carpal area consisted of 43 cases with ulnar nerve injuries and 30 cases with both ulnar and median nerve injuries. Group B comprised 25 patients with ulnar nerve injuries in the area of elbow due to bone fractures. Group C comprised 18 patients with ulnar nerve injuries in the upper arm area. The quality of the functional results was closely related to the age of patients with better results in younger people and to early post-traumatic management of the injury. This was particularly notable in group C where, although there was high nerve damage, young patients and patients with early treatment generally had a better response than patients with lower ulnar nerve lesions. In contrast, we found that in cases of delay in surgical procedures for mixed nerve damage, the response was poor.