Anatomical Variability Predisposed a Child to Permanent Brachial Plexopathy following Incidental Trauma

Anatomic variations in peripheral nerves and the perineural environment are common and can contribute to acute or chronic neuropathy in certain individuals. Awareness of these variants is relevant to understanding both the etiopathogenesis and the increased susceptibility to nerve injury in some patients. We present a 4-year-old boy who sustained a permanent injury to the upper brachial plexus from a relatively minor trauma. Surgical exploration revealed a variation in upper trunk anatomy that likely contributed to this outcome.