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Nerve continuity test

KB56
KB56 CSN Member Posts: 318 Member
edited February 2014 in Head and Neck Cancer #1

after all the treatments etc, I have "winging of the scapula" on my right side.   The oncologist said it was probably due the some damage to the Long Thorasic Nerve due to the cancer itself, or the radiation treatments to the right side of the neck.    I only had a tonsillectomy ( no neck dissection) so it's not due to surgery.   I definitely had some nerve damage due to the cancer as my right vocal cord is still paralyzed and that was the reason we started looking.   The good news is it was paralyzed open but now it's closed but I can live with that.  If it would have stayed paralyzed open, they would of had to do something to "close" it - surgery.  Not needed now which is great.  

 

my wife is a nurse so she wanted me to go to an Orthopedic Surgeon so today I had the appointment and he ordered the nerve continuity test to check out the nerve.  

Has as anyone ever had a Nerve Continuity Test and what can I expect?

 

thanks,

Keith

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Comments

  • longtermsurvivor
    longtermsurvivor CSN Member Posts: 1,842 Member
    #2
    that is different

    As you suggest, winged scapula is typically from neck disection.  So wow, here's a reference for nerve continuity testing:  http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/003927.htm  Now vocal cord paralysis, OTOH, is a recognized complication of radiation for throat cancer, so there may be several different things going on here. 

     

    best

     

    Pat

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  • KB56
    KB56 CSN Member Posts: 318 Member
    #3
    longtermsurvivor said:

    that is different

    As you suggest, winged scapula is typically from neck disection.  So wow, here's a reference for nerve continuity testing:  http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/003927.htm  Now vocal cord paralysis, OTOH, is a recognized complication of radiation for throat cancer, so there may be several different things going on here. 

     

    best

     

    Pat

    Nerve

    Pat, I had the paralyzed vocal cord before the diagnosid and thought I had a really bad case of bronchitis but the medicine didn't help at all.   But it got the ENT looking for the cause or I wouldn't have been looking.  the tumors were squeezing the nerve that controls the vocal cord and could have something to do with the Long Thorasic nerve as well.    

     

    Thanks for for the info.  The good thing is the nerve csn regenerate itself so that's good. 

    keith

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