Summary:
From the material of the twenty - five (25) human cadavers (both men and
women), which were used for the clinical exercises of the students of the
Medical School of Athens, from 2004 to 2011, the nerves which take part in the
formation of the brachial plexus were studied, as long as with the brachial
plexus itself and the arrangement of its primary rami in the neck.
The main elements of the research for the positions of compression of the
nerves of the upper limb were studied according to the title of the research.
In the research the reasons for the compression of the nerves, were not studied.
In the classical anatomical literature, the reported nerves that take part in
the formation of the brachial plexus were found in our Study to constitute 59%.
Depending on the number of the nerves that take part in the formation of the
brachial plexus, in these 25 cadavers that were studied, we have concluded that
the brachial plexus presents five (5) variations. The most usual one is the
variation where the C5 - C6 - C7 - C8 - (T1) participate in the formation of
the brachial plexus in a 59% percentage. The least common variation is the one
where (C3) - (C4) - C5 - C6 - C7 - C8 - (C1) participate in the formation of
the plexus in a 0,25% percentage.
The different variations of the brachial plexus were classified into two types.
The first one, the cephalic one, has a (23,25%) percentage and the caudal one,
has a (76,75%) percentage. The number of the primary rami of the bracial plexus
has a varation between 2 and 4 [2(20%), 3(79%), 4(1%)].
From these primary rami, the secondary rami of the brachial plexus are formed.
These are the ventral, the anterior - median and the anterior - lateral rami,
with a large number of variations.
In the research, all the anatomical positions of compression of the nerves of
the upper limb were studied and recorded, in order to facilitate the every day
clinical work of the physician who is occupied with this field.
Keywords:
Brachial plexus, Upper limb, Compression sites, Peripheral nerves, Compression syndromes
