Permanent nerve injury in the forearm following radial artery harvest : A report of two cases

Radial artery grafts for coronary artery bypass surgery have recently gained renewed clinical interest. The procedure has been reported to be successful, with a low incidence of morbidity. Although permanent injury to the sensory nerves of the forearm has not been reported, transient or temporary dysesthesia has been known to occur. Recently, 2 patients were referred for long-standing debilitating dysesthesia in their forearms following radial artery harvesting. Electrical studies documented radial sensory nerve injury in both patients, one of whom underwent surgical treatment. Because radial artery grafting for coronary artery bypass surgery may be increasing in popularity, disability from sensory nerve injury may become more frequent. Because of the susceptibility to injury of the sensory nerves in the forearm, and because of the anatomic variations in this region, surgical personnel performing radial artery harvesting should be familiar with the pertinent anatomy so that this complication can be avoided.