[Intra- and postoperative nerve lesions and their treatment]

Injuries to the central or peripheral nerves caused by medical intervention are called iatrogenic nerve lesions. The caudal relationship between medical intervention and iatrogenic nerve injuries is frequently not very clear. Careful pre- and post-operative examination of the patient, however, will in most instances reveal a nerve lesion in a timely manner. Iatrogenic nerve lesions in the clinical cases available to us were predominantly due to indirect influences, such as pressure, insertion of a retractor or heat; we discovered that only in a few cases a nerve was partially or completely severed or damaged by the material used for osteosynthesis. The pre- and postoperative clinical neurological and electrophysiological examinations of our patients were performed by a neurologist. Nerve-repair was achieved by neurolysis in 19 cases; a primary or secondary suture was performed in three cases. A nerve graft was used in five cases to regain continuity. Those patients (nearly 75%) who underwent restitutive surgery within an six-month period after iatrogenic injury in the primary operation were treated successfully. These results suggest that timely treatment is decisive for good outcome.