| Klumpke's paralysis | |
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| Classification and external resources | |
Brachial plexus. Klumpke paralysis primarily affects C8 and T1. |
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| ICD-10 | P14.1 |
| ICD-9 | 767.6 |
| DiseasesDB | 7200 |
Named after Augusta Déjerine-Klumpke,[1][2][3] Klumpke's paralysis (or Klumpke's palsy or Dejerine-Klumpke palsy) is a variety of partial palsy of the lower roots of the brachial plexus.[4][5] The brachial plexus is a network of spinal nerves that originates in the back of the neck, extends through the axilla (armpit), and gives rise to nerves to the upper limb.[6][7][8][9] (see picture - click to enlarge).
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Klumpke's paralysis is a form of paralysis involving the muscles of the forearm and hand, resulting from a brachial plexus injury in which the eighth cervical (C8) and first thoracic (T1) nerves are injured "either before or after they have joined to form the lower trunk. The subsequent paralysis affects, principally, the intrinsic muscles of the hand and the flexors of the wrist and fingers".[4][9][10] Forearm pronators and wrist flexors may be involved, as may dilators of the iris and elevators of the eyelid (both of which may be seen in the case of associated Horner's Syndrome). The classic presentation of Klumpke's palsy is the “claw hand” where the forearm is supinated and the wrist and fingers are flexed. If Horner syndrome is present, there is miosis (constriction of the pupils) in the affected eye.
The injury can result from difficulties in childbirth. The most common aetiological mechanism is caused by a traumatic vaginal delivery, necessitated by shoulder dystocia. The risk is greater when the mother is small or when the infant is of large weight. Risk of injury to the lower brachial plexus results from traction on the abducted arm, as with an infant being pulled from the birth canal by an extended arm above the head or with someone catching himself by a branch as he falls from a tree. Lower brachial plexus injuries should be distinguished from upper brachial plexus injuries, which can also result from birth trauma but give a different syndrome of weakness known as Erb's palsy.
An easy way to remember Klumpke paralysis (or Klumpke's Palsy) is by remembering the phrase "Klumpke the monkey hung from a tree", as a method of injury is catching oneself on a tree branch when falling.
Symptoms include claw hand, paralysis of intrinsic hand muscles, and ulnar nerve distribution numbness. Involvement of T1 may result in Horner's syndrome, with ptosis, and miosis.[4][11][12]
It can be contrasted to Erb-Duchenne's palsy, which affects C5 and C6.
Klumpke Palsy is listed as a 'rare disease' by the Office of Rare Diseases (ORD) of the National Institutes of Health (NIH). This means that Klumpke Palsy, or a subtype of Klumpke Palsy, affects fewer than 200,000 people in the US population.
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