Question

A 52-year-old man is brought to the emergency room after being found by police prone on the edge of the sidewalk outside. He is moderately intoxicated with alcohol and unable to give an adequate history. Upon neurologic examination you discover that his right wrist and fingers are limp and he cannot lift them. He is also weak when he tries to extend his arm from a bent to a straight position. He also has trouble turning his forearm over when it is placed palm down on a flat surface. The lesion in question here is most likely a(n):

A. Radial nerve entrapment
B. Ulnar nerve entrapment
C. Median nerve entrapment
D. Musculocutaneous nerve entrapment
E. Suprascapular nerve entrapment

Answer 1

The symptoms experienced by the patient indicate a lesion likely affecting the radial nerve; therefore, the correct diagnosis in this case is radial nerve entrapment (Option A).

Step-by-step explanation:

The case describes a patient with several key neurological symptoms: right wrist and finger limpness, weakness in arm extension, and difficulty in supinating the forearm. Given these symptoms, the most likely diagnosis is a lesion affecting the radial nerve, because it innervates the extensor muscles of the forearm, wrist, and fingers, which are required for these motions. Therefore, the lesion in question here is most likely a(n) radial nerve entrapment (Option A). Radial nerve entrapment can occur due to various reasons, including compression of the nerve, which may result from prolonged pressure on the arm such as seen in intoxication when one falls asleep in a position that puts pressure on the nerve.