SURGERY OF THE INDIVIDUAL NERVES[6]
[6] We desire here to acknowledge our indebtedness to Mr. James
Sherren's work on _Injuries of Nerves and their Treatment_.
#The Brachial Plexus.#--Lesions of the brachial plexus may be divided
into those above the clavicle and those below that bone.
In the #supra-clavicular injuries#, the violence applied to the head or
shoulder causes over-stretching of the anterior branches (primary
divisions) of the cervical nerves, the fifth, or the fifth and sixth
being those most liable to suffer. Sometimes the traction is exerted
upon the plexus from below, as when a man in falling from a height
endeavours to save himself by clutching at some projection, and the
lesion then mainly affects the first dorsal nerve. There is tearing of
the nerve sheaths, with haemorrhage, but in severe cases partial or
complete severance of nerve fibres may occur and these give way at
different levels. During the healing process an excess of fibrous tissue
is formed, which may interfere with regeneration.
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