title: Injury of the common peroneal nerve after cardiothoracic operations.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  To assess incidence, etiology, and clinical relevance of common peroneal nerve injury (CPNI) in patients after cardiothoracic surgery.
  
  
  METHODS
  In an 11-year period, CPNI was detected in 39 out of 20,718 patients (0.19%): 38 times after cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB) (38 of 12,726; 0.30%) and in 1 patient after a non-CPB procedure (1 of 7,992; 0.013%). These patients underwent intensive physiotherapeutic treatment. As the majority of CPNI occurred after CPB (97.4%), data of these patients were compared with a 1-year set of 1,032 patients who underwent CPB procedures.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Patients with CPNI were older, had a higher percentage of subnormal body weight, and had considerable comorbidity such as peripheral arteriosclerotic disease, diabetes mellitus, and arrhythmias. Follow-up was complete (mean: 5.2 years; 0.4 to 10.7 years). Twenty-eight patients were free of symptoms; 10 patients complained of moderate symptoms, but were not limited in their everyday life; 1 patient still suffers from severe sensorimotor symptoms.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  CPNI after cardiothoracic surgery is rare. Duration of the operative procedure, an increased comorbidity, and a subnormal body weight are assumed to have an etiologic impact. Prognosis is mostly good, but early physiotherapeutic treatment is crucial for prognosis.
authors.affiliation: Department of Thoracic Surgery, University Hospital Rheinisch Westfälische Technische Hochschule, Aachen, Germany. jvazquez-jimenez@post.klinikum.rwth-aachen.de
authors.forename: Jaime F
authors.initials: JF
authors.lastname: Vazquez-Jimenez
authors.forename: Gabriele
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Krebs
authors.forename: Johannes
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Schiefer
authors.forename: Jörg S
authors.initials: JS
authors.lastname: Sachweh
authors.forename: Oliver J
authors.initials: OJ
authors.lastname: Liakopoulos
authors.forename: Georg
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Wendt
authors.forename: Bruno J
authors.initials: BJ
authors.lastname: Messmer
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D006348:Cardiac Surgical Procedures / Q000009:adverse effects*; D015897:Comorbidity; D001026:Coronary Artery Bypass / Q000009:adverse effects; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010543:Peroneal Nerve / Q000293:injuries*; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D019616:Thoracic Surgical Procedures / Q000009:adverse effects*; D014947:Wounds and Injuries / Q000175:diagnosis