Spinal Accessory Nerve Injury as a Complication of Internal Jugular Vein Cannulation
Authors: Stephen Burns
Journal: Annals of Internal Medicine (1996)

Letters15 October 1996Spinal Accessory Nerve Injury as a Complication of Internal Jugular Vein CannulationStephen Burns, MD and Gerald J. Herbison, MDStephen Burns, MDThomas Jefferson University Hospital, Philadelphia, PA 19107Search for more papers by this author and Gerald J. Herbison, MDThomas Jefferson University Hospital, Philadelphia, PA 19107Search for more papers by this authorAuthor, Article, and Disclosure Informationhttps://doi.org/10.7326/0003-4819-125-8-199610150-00029 SectionsAboutFull TextPDF ToolsAdd to favoritesDownload CitationsTrack CitationsPermissions ShareFacebookTwitterLinkedInRedditEmail TO THE EDITOR:A 38-year-old woman was referred to us for electromyographic evaluation of right scapular winging. She had first noticed shoulder pain after having right internal jugular vein cannulation 15 months earlier. Signs included atrophy and decreased strength of the right trapezius and lateral winging of the scapula. Neurologic examination indicated no other findings. A small scar was present on the right lateral neck at the junction of the upper and middle thirds of the posterior border of the sternocleidomastoid. Electromyography showed chronic denervation of the entire right trapezius. The serratus anterior was normal.Neurologic complications of central venous ...References1. Defalque RJ, Fletcher MV. Neurological complications of central venous cannulation. JPEN J Parenter Enteral Nutr. 1988; 12:406-9. Google Scholar2. Hoffman JC. Permanent paralysis of the accessory nerve after cannulation of the internal jugular vein. Anesthesiology. 1983; 58:583-4. Google Scholar3. Defalque RJ. Percutaneous catheterization of the internal jugular vein. Anesth Analg. 1974; 53:116-21. Google Scholar4. Romanes GJ. The peripheral nervous system. In: Romanes GJ, ed. Cunningham's Textbook of Anatomy. 12th ed. London: Oxford Univ Pr; 1981:764. Google Scholar Author, Article, and Disclosure InformationAffiliations: Thomas Jefferson University Hospital, Philadelphia, PA 19107 PreviousarticleNextarticle Advertisement FiguresReferencesRelatedDetails Metrics Cited byNerve ultrasound findings in two cases of spinal accessory nerve palsyUpdate on totally implantable venous access devicesBrachial Plexus InjuryIdiopathic spinal accessory nerve palsy. A case reportImpairment of upper trapezius branch of the spinal accessory nerve during bypass grafting: A stretch injury?Isolated Spinal Accessory Mononeuropathy Associated With Neurogenic Muscle Hypertrophy: Restricted Neuralgic Amyotrophy or Stretch-Palsy? A Case ReportIatrogenic injury to the accessory nerveOther Upper Extremity NeuropathiesSurgical Treatment of Trapezius ParalysisDelayed Rupture of an Extensor Digitorum Tendon Following Repeated Attempts at Intravenous Cannulation 15 October 1996Volume 125, Issue 8Page: 700KeywordsCannulationCatheterizationCathetersCranial nervesDenervationElectromyographyJugular veinNervesScarsShoulders Issue Published: 15 October 1996 Copyright & PermissionsCopyright © 1996 by American College of Physicians. All Rights Reserved.PDF downloadLoading ...