[Postoperative lesions of the peripheral nerves. 8 years' analysis]

Damage to a plexus or peripheral nerve is a rare and avoidable complication of surgical anesthesia. We reviewed 2,750 case histories of patients who underwent surgery between 1985 and 1992, finding 6 cases of nerve lesions presenting postoperatively. Sequelae involved 1 abdomino-genital neuralgia, 1 case of post-epidural radicular pain, 2 cases of peroneal nerve palsies and 2 of cubital paresis. Three of these cases were related to position during surgery, 1 to position during a prolonged period in bed in the intensive care unit, 1 to the anesthetic technique and 1 to surgical manipulation. Our data are important given the difficulty of studying the incidence of such cases due to patient dispersion and the loss of records of possible occurrences. The mechanisms by which lesions are produced are sometimes difficult to pinpoint but all are generally preventable.