Iatrogenic selective lesion of the median nerve at the elbow

A lesion of the median nerve may occur as a consequence of a compression by a haematoma or for a direct damage of the axons caused by a needle insertion. To date, no investigation reported a very selective lesion of the median nerve at the elbow, with the suffering limited only to the fibres for the first digit. A 53 year-old left-handed violinist underwent an arterial blood gas drawing. The patient complained immediately of an electrical shock impression going down the arm, followed by pin sensation into the first finger. A tingling sensation associated with numbness in the first fingertip and difficulty in the index-thumb pinch became progressively evident. The ENG-EMG findings showed an impairment mainly of the sensory fibres innervating the first digit and a drop of the motor action potential amplitude when the nerve was stimulated at the elbow. We reported a very partial lesion of the left median nerve at the elbow in a violinist who had a selective involvement of the fibres for his first digit. Even minimal lesions of the median nerve may impair severely the quality of life of patients.