Impairment of the brachial plexus after harvest of the latissimus dorsi muscle for reanimation of a paralysed face.
The one-stage neurovascular pedicled latissimus dorsi muscle transfer with a long thoracodorsal nerve for dynamic reanimation of long-standing facial paralysis offers several advantages over other options. However, extensive dissection of the thoracodorsal nerve risks injury to the brachial plexus. We reviewed 264 consecutive cases to assess the extent of the risk of impairment of the brachial plexus and to elicit factors that could possibly induce complications. Six patients had impairment of brachial plexus, but both sensory and motor disturbance disappeared about 11 months postoperatively. All symptoms had completely vanished by 18.5 months. The complications were thought to have resulted from positioning and excessive retraction in four cases. Direct invasion of the brachial cord may not be the main cause. Proper knowledge of the anatomy and optimum attention minimise the risk of severe complications associated with harvesting of the latissimus dorsi muscle.
Kurita
Masakazu
M
Department of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, Kyorin University School of Medicine, Mitakashi, Tokyo, Japan. masakazukurita@aol.com
Takushima
Akihiko
A
Momosawa
Akira
A
Okazaki
Mutsumi
M
Ozaki
Mine
M
Miyamoto
Shimpei
S
Shiraishi
Tomohiro
T
Harii
Kiyonori
K
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001917:Brachial Plexus / Q000293:injuries; D020516:Brachial Plexus Neuropathies / Q000209:etiology*; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005154:Facial Nerve / Q000601:surgery; D005158:Facial Paralysis / Q000601:surgery*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007431:Intraoperative Complications; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D018482:Muscle, Skeletal / Q000294:innervation* / Q000637:transplantation*; D020127:Recovery of Function