Incidence of Klumpke's birth palsy: Comparison between two decades

In a previous paper, the incidence of Klumpke's palsy as cited in the English literature over the last decade (1984 to 1994) was found to be 0.6%. However, during the last decade, there have been consistent increases of cesarean section rates. Therefore, it was unknown if this modern obstetric practice affected the incidence of Klumpke's palsy. This review demonstrates that Klumpke's palsy was equally rare (0.7% of birth palsies) in the previous decade (1973 to 1983). It is also shown that 16 out of the 26 cases of Kumpke's palsy reported in the literature over the last two decades were reported from one centre. It is concluded that the incidence of this rare type of birth palsy has not changed with modern obstetric practice and that this palsy is related to vaginal breech deliveries with hyperabduction of the arms.