Musculocutaneous neuropathy after anaesthesia for thyroid surgery: a case report
Emine Özyuvacı1, Abdullah Tolga Şitilci2, Anupama Wadhwa3
1Department Of Anaesthesiology, Istanbul Education And Research Hospital, Istanbul, Turkey
2Oral And Maxillofacial Surgery, Department Of Anaesthesiology, Istanbul University, Dentistry Faculty, Istanbul, Turkey
3Department Of Anesthesiology And Perioperative Medicine, University Of Louisville, Louisville, Kentucky, United States Of America
Keywords: musculocutaneous nerve, lateral cutaneous nerve, postoperative pain, neuropathy, patient positioning
Abstract
Postoperative isolated injury of the musculocutaneous nerve is a rare disorder and complication. Reported cases are claimed to present with loss of biceps and brachialis power without neuropathic pain (1,2,3). When injury occurs to one of the terminal branches of the brachial plexus, the lateral cutaneous nerve of the forearm, pain is the major symptom and it typically radiates along the radial aspect of the forearm (1,4). In the literature, isolated lesions of the musculocutaneous nerve have been attributed to repeated microtrauma, indirect trauma or direct trauma to the nerve (5). It may also occur due to strenuous extension of the forearm for prolonged periods.