Postoperative Facial Nerve Palsy in a Pediatric Patient.

Abstract

Peripheral nerve injury is a well-recognized complication of surgery and anesthesia. However, overall incidence is less than 1% [1,2]. Most commonly affected nerves include the ulnar nerve, brachial plexus, and lumbosacral nerve root [2]. Postoperative facial nerve palsy as a complication of surgery and anesthesia has been documented in the literature, but it is a rare event [3]. The occurrence of any type of nerve injury as a postoperative complication is even less common in the pediatric population [2,3]. In this report, we describe a case of postoperative facial nerve palsy in a pediatric patient after a thoracotomy..