====== Radial nerve palsy ======

The conservative strategy was a good choice for patients with low-energy closed fractures of the humerus with [[radial nerve]] [[injury]]. Ge et al.  recommend early radial nerve [[exploration]] (within the first 2 weeks) in patients with open fractures or high-energy closed fractures of the humerus with radial nerve injury
((Li Y, Ning G, Wu Q, Wu Q, Li Y, Feng S. Review of literature of radial nerve injuries associated with humeral fractures-an integrated management strategy. PLoS One. 2013 Nov 8;8(11):e78576. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0078576. PMID: 24250799; PMCID: PMC3826746.)).
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From May 2016 to June 2021 a retrospective analysis of all patients who underwent elbow arthroscopy in our department was performed. Patients were separated into three groups: non-ultrasound; preoperative ultrasound; and intraoperative ultrasound. The minimum follow-up period was 1 year. Nerve injuries, visual analog scale (VAS), Mayo elbow-performance score (MEPS), Disabilities of the Arm, Shoulder, and Hand Questionnaire (DASH), and range of motion (ROM) of the elbow were evaluated for comparison among the three groups pre-and post-operatively.

Results: All 55 patients completed a 1-year follow-up: non-ultrasound (n = 20); preoperative ultrasound (n = 17); and intraoperative ultrasound (n = 18). There were 3 cases (15.0%) of transient radial nerve palsy in the non-ultrasound group. No nerve complications occurred in preoperative ultrasound and intraoperative ultrasound groups. The probability of postoperative radial nerve injury in the three groups was statistically different (P < 0.05). There was no significant difference in the VAS score, MEPS, DASH score, and ROM among the three groups at the follow-up evaluation (P > 0.05).

Conclusion: Performing anterolateral portal placement during elbow arthroscopy with ultrasound-assisted techniques successfully avoided radial nerve injury
((Ge X, Ge X, Wang C, Liu Q, Wang B, Chen L, Cheng K, Qin M. Application of ultrasound in avoiding radial nerve injury during elbow arthroscopy: a retrospective follow-up study. BMC Musculoskelet Disord. 2022 Dec 24;23(1):1126. doi: 10.1186/s12891-022-06109-8. PMID: 36566206.)).