A 45-year-old woman is admitted to the hospital with neck pain. A CT scan reveals a tumor in the left side of her oral cavity. The tumor and related tissues are removed with a radical neck surgical procedure. Two months postoperatively the patient's left shoulder droops quite noticeably. Physical examination reveals distinct weakness in turning her head to the right and impairment of abduction of her left upper limb to the level of the shoulder. Which of the following structures was most likely injured during the radical neck surgery?
The spinal accessory nerve arises from the ventral rootlets of C1 to C4 and ascends through the foramen magnum to then exit the cranial cavity through the jugular foramen. It innervates the sternocleidomastoid and trapezius muscles, which function in head rotation and raising of the shoulders. The suprascapular nerve receives fibers from C5-6 (occasionally from C4 if the plexus is "prefixed") and innervates the supraspinatus muscle, which is responsible for the first 15deg of arm abduction. Erb point of the brachial plexus is at the union of C5-6 spinal nerves. The long thoracic nerve arises from plexus routes C5, 6, and 7, and supplies the serratus anterior.
Suprascapular nerve
Long thoracic nerve
Spinal accessory nerve
The junction of spinal nerves C5 and C6 of the brachial plexus
Upper Extremity