Published in:
01-09-2015
Ulnar nerve transection during Tommy John surgery: novel findings and approach to treatment
Authors:
Benjamin Z. Phillips, Christopher Stockburger, Susan E. Mackinnon
Published in:
HAND
|
Issue 3/2015
Login to get access
Excerpt
While iatrogenic injuries to peripheral nerves in sports-related surgeries are rare, the morbidity of a peripheral nerve injury can be substantial, particularly in the young, active patient population [
8]. Medial ulnar collateral ligament (UCL) reconstruction with tendon graft (Tommy John surgery) is a safe and effective operative intervention in treating medial elbow instability in overhead throwing athletes [
6,
9] and complications are rare. Ulnar nerve neurapraxia is the most commonly recognized nerve complication [
4]. However, median nerve transection during tendon graft harvest has been reported [
5,
7,
10,
11,
13]. We report the first documented case of a complete ulnar nerve transection following UCL reconstruction and present a novel surgical intervention to address this serious complication. …