Cervical radiculopathy due to intra-arterial infusion of cisplatin

A 55-year-old man with cervical radiculopathy (C5-C8) was referred to us following intra-arterial infusion of cisplatin (CDDP) because of a recurrent neck mass of laryngeal cancer. Three hours after the CDDP infusion, he had noticed general weakness of the left upper extremity and hypoaesthesia of the lateral side of the upper and lower arm. The next day he was diagnosed with left cervical radiculopathy of C5 to C8, which improved gradually and had resolved completely six months after the infusion. Even with proper positioning of the infusion catheter to minimize potential complications, for anatomical reasons there are always some risks of neural injury with intra-arterial infusion from branches of the subclavian artery. This procedure should be carefully indicated in the case of a large neck tumour that is perfused from the major branches of the subclavian artery.