Postinfectious Brachial Neuritis

Figure 1. A nine-year-old boy presented with a two-day history of extreme pain in his right shoulder girdle after an upper respiratory tract infection that was accompanied by fever (temperature, 39.5°C). Physical examination revealed paresthesia of the lateral aspect of the arm, atrophy (arrow in Panel A), weakness of the deltoid muscle (4/5) during abduction of the shoulder, and weakness of the serratus anterior muscle, with scapular winging (Panel B). Symptomatic therapy with acetaminophen was administered. The patient recovered uneventfully within four months.