PubMed · 8951021
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R Birch. 1996. Brachial plexus injuries.. https://doi.org/10.1302/0301-620x78b6.14190
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During routine dissection a subclavius posticus muscle was found on the left side of a male cadaver. This muscle arose from the upper margin of the scapula and transverse scapular ligament, inserted in the superior side of the first rib cartilage, and was innervated by a small branch from the suprascapular nerve. The anatomical relationships of the supernumerary muscle with the brachial plexus and the subclavian artery is suggestive of a possible cause of the thoracic outlet syndrome and therefore of clinical significance.
We encountered a patient with dumbbell-type schwannoma arising in the right brachial plexus with von Recklinghausen disease. The patient was a 9-year-old girl. An abnormal shadow was detected high in the thoracic cavity by thoracic radiography. Thoracic CT and MRI demonstrated at the apex of the thoracic cavity a tumor measuring 9.0 x 6.0 cm, which was diagnosed as a dumbbell-type neurogenic tumor derived from the brachial plexus. Most cases of such tumors growing inside and outside the spinal cavity have reportedly been treated in a single surgical procedure. However, since the tumor in this patient was large, the intrathoracic portion was removed first in order to minimize the magnitude of the surgical invasion. The residual intraspinal tumor was removed during subsequent surgery. No neurological problems were observed after surgery. Patients with dumbbell-type schwannomas arising in the right brachial plexus appear to be very rare, and this patient was considered noteworthy.
Magnetic resonance imaging is the imaging method of first choice for evaluating the anatomy and pathology of the brachial plexus. This review discusses the used imaging techniques, the normal anatomy, and a variety of pathologies that can involve the brachial plexus. The pathology includes primary and secondary tumors (the most frequent secondary tumors being superior sulcus tumor and metastatic breast carcinoma), radiation plexopathy, trauma, thoracic outlet syndrome, neuralgic amyotrophy, chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy (CIDP), and multifocal motor neuropathy (MMN).