The Role of MRI in the Diagnosis of Post-sternotomy Injuries of the Brachial Plexus

Brachial plexus injury (bpi) is an uncommon complication of mediansternotomy capable of causing a permanent or transitory sensitivityand/or motor function impairment in the upper limbs.during a cardiac surgery through sternotomy, for the assessment of thethoracic cage configuration and the site of mediastinal structures, abroader surgical field may be required. if the sternal retractors areoverstretched, the costovertebral junctions are likely to be dislocateddamaging the adjacent soft tissues at the same time.magnetic resonance imaging (mri) is the modality of choice for estimatingthe degree of physical damage to the brachial plexus. in this paper, weintended to report the mri findings of a chronic case of bpi following acardiac surgery.