Post-traumatic cervical pseudomeningocele: A case report

The traumatic lesions of the brachial plexus mainly are due to stretching, tearing, bruising, or direct sores accentuated by a hematoma or the presence of a foreign body. Stretching of the brachial plexus can lead to avulsion and/or pseudomeningocele. Case Report: It is a case of a 12-year-old child who was admitted to the emergency room after a public road accident for the management of an open arm fracture, for which he received stabilization by screw plate fixation. Evolution was marked with anesthesia in the area of the musculocutaneous nerve. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) showed a left C7 pseudomeningocele with root avulsion. The patient underwent surgery but unfortunately did not recover his neurological deficit. Late electroneuromyography (ENMG) showed distal nerve damages which can explain the failure of surgery. Conclusion: If MRI distinguishes a preganglionic lesion from proximal postganglionic involvement, it ignores distal lesions. Electroneuromyography and MRI are therefore complementary in the determination of the reversibility or not of lesions of the brachial plexus and in the choice of the most appropriate treatment.