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Background:. Complete brachial plexus injuries are devastating injuries. A viable C5 spinal nerve can offer additional sources of axons and alter surgical treatment. We aimed to determine factors that portend C5 nerve root avulsion. Methods:. A retrospective study of 200 consecutive patients with complete brachial plexus injuries at two international centers (Mayo Clinic in the United States and Chang Gung Memorial Hospital in Taiwan) was performed. Demographic information, concomitant injuries, mechanism, and details of the injury were determined, and kinetic energy (KE) and Injury Severity Score were calculated. C5 nerve root was evaluated by preoperative imaging, intraoperative exploration, and/or intraoperative neuromonitoring. A spinal nerve was considered viable if it was grafted during surgery. Results:. Complete five-nerve root avulsions of the brachial plexus were present in 62% of US and 43% of Taiwanese patients, which was significantly different. Increasing age, the time from injury to surgery, weight, body mass index of patient, motor vehicle accident, KE, Injury Severity Score, and presence of vascular injury significantly increased the risk of C5 avulsion. Motorcycle (≤150cc) or bicycle accident decreased the risk of avulsion. Significant differences were found between demographic variables between the two institutions: age of injury, body mass index, time to surgery, vehicle type, speed of injury, KE, Injury Severity Score, and presence of vascular injury. Conclusions:. The rate of complete avulsion injury was high in both centers. Although there are a number of demographic differences between the United States and Taiwan, overall the KE of the accident increased the risk of C5 avulsion.

We describe a 51-year-old woman who over 5 years had 9 painful monophasic attacks affecting the brachial plexus before a fascicular plexus biopsy diagnosed large B-cell lymphoma. The initial attacks were responsive to steroids with clinical resolution. At last attack, magnetic resonance imaging showed multifocal T2 hyperintensities and nodular gadolinium enhancement in the right brachial plexus not seen previously. Also seen were similar changes in the thoracic spinal cord, basal ganglia, cerebellum, and brainstem. Positron emission tomography revealed marked hypermetabolic activity of the plexus facilitating targeted fascicular brachial plexus biopsy, making the pathological diagnosis. Neurolymphomatosis affecting the peripheral nervous system typically presents with insidious painful progressive infiltration of nerves, roots, or plexi. Recurrent idiopathic brachial neuritis attacks (ie, Parsonage-Turner syndrome) in contrast most commonly are seen in persons with a family history and a discoverable genetic cause by SEPT9 mutations, which tested negative in this patient. This case illustrates how neurolymphomatosis, which represents a malignant transformation of B cells within peripheral nerves, can sometimes present with paraneoplastic immune-responsive neuritis mimicking Parsonage-Turner syndrome. Recurrence, an immune-refractory course or insidious progressive involvement of the nervous system, should raise suspicion of neurolymphomatosis.