Background and objective.

According to studies conducted by the Louisiana State University Center for Health Sciences (USA), the prevalence of gunshot injuries to the brachial plexus is 12%.

Our aim is to indicate which is the most used surgical treatment for the restoration of the brachial plexus injured by a firearm projectile according to the bibliography reviewed, identify the surgical management with the highest percentage of functional restoration and specify which cervical nerves tend to be more exposed to gunshot wounds.

Methods.

This study is a systematic review based on Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines. The inclusion criteria were: research on gunshot wounds in the brachial plexus published within the 2010-2020 period, available in Spanish and / or English and which will be available in full text for free. The databases reviewed were: PubMed, SciELO and ScienceDirect.

Results.

The most widely used surgical treatment for this type of injury is neurolysis with 65%, leaving neurotization in second place with 59%. Regarding the recovery of the patient due to neurolysis it is 90.4% and due to nerve grafting it is 85.7%. Some patients presented vascular injuries in conjunction with gunshot injuries to the brachial plexus.

Conclusions.

Traumatic brachial plexus injuries are relatively rare, but they produce severe upper limb dysfunction, generating great morbidity in patients suffering from this type of injury.

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