Parsonage–Turner syndrome

Ricardo Barreto Monteiro dos Santos, Saulo Monteiro dos Santos, Flávio José Câmara Carneiro Leal, Otávio Gomes Lins, Carmem Magalhães, Ricardo Bruno Mertens Fittipaldi

To describe the clinical, electrophysiological and imaging findings from Parsonage-Turner syndrome and evaluate the results from conservative treatment. Eight cases were studied between February 2010 and February 2012, with a minimum follow-up of one year (mean of 14 months). All the patients answered a clinical questionnaire and underwent functional evaluation using the Constant and Murley score. After clinical suspicion was raised, an electromyography examination was performed to confirm the diagnosis. Eight patients (mean age of 29 years) were evaluated. The right side was affected in 70% of the cases, and the dominant side in 80% of the cases. All the patients reported that their shoulder pain had started suddenly, lasting from one to five days in six cases and up to 15 days in two cases. In three cases, severe atrophy of the deltoid muscle was observed. Hypotrophy of the supraspinatus and infraspinatus muscles was observed in three cases. A winged scapula was observed in the two remaining cases. Electromyography demonstrated involvement of the long thoracic nerve in these last two cases and confirmed the involvement of the axillary and suprascapular nerves in the remaining six cases. The mean score on the Constant and Murley scale was 96 at the end of the conservative treatment with non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs and physiotherapy. Six of the eight patients presented good recovery of muscle strength. In the majority of the cases, the functional recovery was good, although muscle strength was not completely restored in some of them.