[A case of bilateral brachial plexopathy after median sternotomy]

A 53-year-old man with bilateral brachial plexopathy after median sternotomy for cardiac surgery was described. When he was awakened six days after cardiac surgery, he experienced weakness and paresthesia of both upper limbs. Neurological examination revealed moderate to severe atrophy and weakness of right biceps, brachioradialis, left triceps, and distal muscles of both upper limbs, and paresthesia around the right thumb and the left hypothenar. Deep tendon reflex of the right biceps, triceps, brachioradialis and left triceps was absent. In addition, he showed Horner's syndrome at the left side. The results of needle EMG and nerve conduction study indicated the damage of the right upper trunk and left middle and lower trunks of the brachial plexus. Although brachial plexopathy following median sternotomy has previously been reported in Western literatures, there is only a single report of unilateral brachial plexopathy in Japan. This is the first report in Japan of the bilateral brachial plexopathy following median sternotomy, and suggests that brachial plexopathy should be recognized as a complication of median sternotomy.