Ultrasound-Guided Perineural Vitamin B12 Injection for Brachial Plexus Injury: A Preliminary Study

Cell Transplant. 2023 Jan-Dec:32:9636897231167213. doi: 10.1177/09636897231167213.

Abstract

Individuals with brachial plexus injury (BPI) require upper limb function restoration, but the treatment remains controversial. Vitamin B12 may aid in pain control and nerve regeneration. We present the technical aspects of ultrasound-guided perineural vitamin B12 injection for BPI. The demonstrative case is a 50-year-old man with BPI resulting from a traffic accident. Under ultrasound guidance, vitamin B12 was injected precisely into the brachial plexus compartment around the swollen neuroma of the C6 root. Motor and sensory functions of the left upper extremity improved over 6 months. Ultrasound-guided perineural vitamin B12 injection may be an efficient and personalized intervention in cases of post-ganglionic BPI that failed to improve in the first 3 months.

Keywords: brachial plexus injury; methylcobalamin; personalized medicine; ultrasound guidance; vitamin B12.

Publication types

  • Case Reports

MeSH terms

  • Brachial Plexus* / diagnostic imaging
  • Brachial Plexus* / injuries
  • Humans
  • Male
  • Middle Aged
  • Pain Management
  • Thorax
  • Ultrasonography, Interventional / methods
  • Vitamin B 12 / therapeutic use

Substances

  • Vitamin B 12