El Haj Madi, Abu Arafeh Muhannad, Gellman Yechiel N, Vorobeitchik Sofia A, Azraq Yusef, Beyth Shaul
From the Department of Orthopedics, Hadassah Medical Center, Faculty of Medicine, Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem, Israel.
Department of Radiology, Hadassah Medical Center, Faculty of Medicine, Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem, Israel.
Plast Reconstr Surg Glob Open. 2025 Jun 4;13(6):e6839. doi: 10.1097/GOX.0000000000006839. eCollection 2025 Jun.
Intercostal neuralgia is a rare yet debilitating condition that can be caused by thoracotomy, herpes zoster infection, or traumatic rib fractures. This case report describes a 48-year-old woman who developed persistent intercostal neuralgia after sustaining bilateral multiple rib fractures from a violent coughing episode. Initial surgical decompression and subsequent neurectomy of the affected intercostal nerve temporarily alleviated her symptoms. A third surgical intervention involving targeted muscle reinnervation with intercostal to thoracodorsal nerve transfer provided long-lasting pain relief. This case highlights the importance of considering nerve entrapment as a cause of posttraumatic intercostal neuralgia and suggests the targeted muscle reinnervation as a reliable procedure for obtaining persistent pain relief.
肋间神经痛是一种罕见但使人衰弱的病症，可由开胸手术、带状疱疹感染或外伤性肋骨骨折引起。本病例报告描述了一名48岁女性，在因剧烈咳嗽发作导致双侧多发肋骨骨折后出现持续性肋间神经痛。最初的手术减压以及随后对受影响肋间神经进行的神经切除术暂时缓解了她的症状。第三次手术干预是采用肋间神经至胸背神经转移进行靶向肌肉再支配，从而提供了持久的疼痛缓解。本病例强调了将神经卡压视为创伤后肋间神经痛病因的重要性，并表明靶向肌肉再支配是获得持续性疼痛缓解的可靠方法。
