Horner Syndrome Caused by Internal Jugular Vein Catheterization

THE RISK FACTORS, clinical manifestation, and preventive measures of Horner syndrome (HS) caused by internal jugular vein (IJV) catheterization were explored. Electronic databases were searched to identify all case reports of HS caused by IJV catheterization. Two authors independently extracted literature characteristics, IJV catheterization method, clinical manifestations, and prognosis data. Twenty case reports (22 patients in total) were included, 18 of which were written in English and the other 2 in Chinese. Patients were between 19 months to 65 years old, and clinical manifestations included ptosis (n = 22), miosis (n = 21), anhidrosis (n = 8), enophthalmos (n = 3), and hoarseness (n = 1). Onset of HS manifestation ranged from a few hours to 19 days after the procedure. Eight patients with ptosis, 6 patients with miosis, and 1 patient with hoarseness recovered during follow-up. Of the 22 patients, 8 underwent more than 1 attempt of IJV catheterization. Six patients experienced accidental carotid artery puncture or hematoma formation during or after IJV catheterization. Ultrasound guidance was applied in 4 patients and anatomic landmark technique was used in the other 18 patients. The left IJV was catheterized in 3 patients, and the right IJV was catheterized in 19 patients. Repeated attempts of puncture, anatomic landmark technique, accidental carotid artery puncture, or hematoma formation may increase the possibility of HS. Ptosis and miosis are the most common manifestations of HS caused by IJV catheterization.