An unusual cause of radial nerve palsy

Abstract

Neurapraxia frequently occurs following traction injury to the nerve intraoperatively, leading to radial nerve palsy which usually recovers in 5-30 weeks. In our case, we had operated a distal one-third of humeral shaft fracture and fixed it with 4.5 mm limited contact dynamic compression plate. The distal neurovascular status of the limb was assessed postoperatively in the recovery room and was found to be intact and all the sensory-motor functions of the radial nerve were normal. On the second postoperative day, following the suction drain removal and dressing, patient developed immediate radial nerve palsy along with wrist drop. We reviewed theliterature and found no obvious cause for the nerve palsy and concluded that it was due to traction injury to the radial nerve while removing the suction drain in negative pressure. Key words: Radial nerve; Humeral fractures; Paralysis; Diaphyse