ASSOCIATED MOVEMENT AS A SEQUEL TO THORACOTOMY - ABERRANT REGENERATION TO THE LATISSIMUS-DORSI MUSCLE

We describe two patients with unusual associated movements as a sequel to thoracotomy. The two patients developed involuntary twitchings of the latissimus dorsi, which were induced by contractions of the adjace nt muscles, the serratus anterior muscle in patient 1 and the external intercostal muscle in patient 2, after lobectomy for lung cancer. Ele ctrophysiological and radiological studies showed that aberrant regene ration from the adjacent nerves to the denervated latissimus dorsi cou ld be responsible for the associated movements.