Bilateral brachial plexus injury after correction of Scheuermann's disease: case report

Abstract

Introduction The article presents a case report and a brief literature review of an adverse event of brachial plexus injury associated with prone positioning in spinal surgery. The purpose was to report a case of bilateral brachial plexus injury after correction of Scheuermann's kyphosis. Material and methods Reported is a case of brachial plexus injury in a patient with Scheuermann's kyphosis after surgical correction. Results The patient could completely regain motor function of the left limb at 6 months with palsy scored 3 proximally retained in the right hand. Discussion The literature describes three pathophysiological conditions that predispose to brachial plexus injury in the postoperative period: sprain, compression, and ischemia. The adverse event is reversible in most cases and recovery depends on the degree of neurological deficit at an early stage. Recommendations are offered for surgeons and anesthesiologists to avoid the occurrence of the complication or take timely measures to alleviate the consequences. Conclusion Upperlimb somatosensory evoked potentials, a part of neurophysiological monitoring can be practical for prevention of the complication. Prevention of brachioplexopathy should be part of perioperative care.

Keywords

• brachioplexopathy
• scheuermann's disease
• spinal deformity correction