ABSTRACT

Radial nerve neuropathy is a rare neuropathy between upper extremity entrapment neuropathies developed because of various etiological factors. This study aimed to retrospectively evaluate patients referred to our EMG laboratory with a diagnosis of radial nerve neuropathy.

In the study, the files of 41 patients who referred to our electromyography (EMG) laboratory with the radial nerve lesion diagnosis between 2004 and 2013 were retrospectively investigated.

Forty-one patients were included in this study. Of the patients, 36 were male (87.8%), five were female (12.2%), and the mean age was 42.36±15.21. Of the patients, 39% were referred by Orthopedics, 34.1% by Neurology, 24.4% by Physical Therapy and Rehabilitation, and 2.4% by Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery departments to our laboratory. Studying the relationship between the shape of nerve injury for etiological reasons shows that the humerus and radius fractures occur most frequently after falling.

Therefore, the variety of etiological factors leading to the radial nerve lesions is remarkable. The higher incidence in male patients may be associated with more common factors such as trauma and work accidents in this gender. The electrophysiological examinations can provide valuable contributions to the diagnosis and follow-up of radial nerve neuropathy. On examining the EMG results of patients, the findings consistent with axonal lesion of radial nerve in the spiral grove after the triceps muscle were the most common (34.1%). The average recovery time of the patients could not be recorded because of the referred patients from other centers and the lack of control visits of the patients. It was found that five of the 10 patients contacted by phone had complete recovery, and there was no recovery in the other five patients.

Keywords: Trauma, radial nerve, EMG