Brachial neuritis

Brachial plexitis refers to inflammatory change involving the brachial plexus. This is in contrast to a brachial plexopathy meaning any form of pathology involving the brachial plexus.

Epidemiology

Brachial plexitis is more commonly seen in men between 30 and 70 years of age and is bilateral in 10-30% of patients .

Pathology

Etiology
  • post radiation plexitis: usually presents 5-30 months after treatment, generally with doses of ≥6000 cGy
  • viral brachial plexitis, e.g. cytomegalovirus, Coxsackie, herpes zoster, Epstein-Barr virus, parvovirus B19
  • immune-mediated
  • toxic (related to previous serum, vaccine, antibiotic or other drug administration, human immunodeficiency virus serology)
  • recent surgery
  • anesthesia
  • Lyme disease
  • heredofamilial hypertrophic neuropathies
  • hereditary neuralgic amyotrophy (familial BPL neuropathy) 
  • idiopathic brachial plexitis
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