The purpose of this paper is to bring attention to a major complication which may follow a minor procedure in the posterior cervical triangle of the neck. Two patients who had a accessory nerve palsy following lymph node biopsy are presented. The ipsilateral accessory nerve was injured in the posterior cervical triangle in both cases. External neurolysis was performed in both cases. The symptom was completely resolved in both patients within 9 months.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.