United Brachial Plexus Network, Inc.

Susie,
Is the surgeon that's recommending this a BPI specialist? If you decide to get a second and third opinion, there is a medical resource list on this website of Doctors that specialize in BP injuries.

Dr. Michelle James at Shriners Sacramento is the doctor we have been taking our son to and she is the one that recently recommended surgery. She is on the resources list here at ubpn.

bump

My child is almost 2 with a robpi. She has great function including external rotation. I have gotten several opinions and just about everyone recommended the tendon transfers. I have chosen not to do the transfers to try to improve function since it doesn't make sense for my child's case in my opinion.

I am however considering Dr. Kozin's surgery of reducing the shoulder to get it back in place. This may be a better option and might be worth considering since it is not an option for older kids.

Also,you would need to get an MRI done to see the shoulder for this type of surgery.

BUMP UP PLEASE

what is reducing the shoulder?

First off, I hope the doctor who recommended the transfer is a BPI specialist...if not you should see one, or two, or three for that matter. And if he is, then I would always feel more comfortable getting a second or third opinion before deciding on surgery. This is what we did.

We thought our daughter was doing well (really she was), but on an MRI, it showed that the reason she didn't have external rotation and some other limitations, was because her shoulder was subluxed. We finally decided to do the anterior capsule release surgery to address this and prevent future malformation of the shoulder joint with Dr. Kozin at Shriner's hospital in Philadelphia.

We just went back for her 1 year follow-up MRI after surgery and it showed wonderful results on the images. She had great external rotation, lost just a bit of internal rotation, and has gained full supination and other areas of functionality are vastly improved. What a difference! Minimally invasive as it is an arthroscopic procedure. 2 scars on the shoulder that are less than one inch that are very difficult to see now. No muscle transfer took place with her surgery, but the capsule around the shoulder was dealt with instead.

Feel free to contact me if you want specifics. I also have Kozin's contact information or you can find it on the resource page. We used Dr. Waters in Boston as a second opinion, too.

Good luck.

Tanya in NY
Amber's Mom, ROBPI, 3 years old