ABSTRACT
Iatrogenic peripheral nerve injuries are a common source of postprocedural morbidity.
The authors present a case report of a patient who developed brachial plexopathy from
positioning during radiofrequency ablation of a renal mass. Though incidence data
on the majority of iatrogenic peripheral nerve injury is scarce, there is more concrete
data on iatrogenic brachial plexopathy. The incidence of brachial plexopathies is
~0.2% of all patients who receive general anesthesia, with between 7 and 10% of brachial
plexopathies being iatrogenic in nature. The mechanism of injury in the majority of
cases is due to stretching or compression of the nerve tissue. Treatment is largely
supportive. Prevention is key in minimizing this form of patient morbidity. It is
the operator's responsibility to mitigate this risk by employing proper positioning
techniques and communicating closely with the anesthesia staff when applicable.
KEYWORDS
Brachial plexus - plexopathy - peripheral nerve injury - iatrogenic
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Kush R DesaiM.D.
Department of Radiology, Northwestern Medical Faculty Foundation
676 North St. Clair Street Ste 800, Chicago, IL 60611
Email: kdesai007@md.northwestern.edu
