Iatrogenic Horner's Syndrome: A Complication of Thoracostomy-Tube Replacement

To the Editor: Horner's syndrome consists of ptosis, meiosis, and anhidrosis and may result from any lesion that interrupts the oculosympathetic pathway in its course from the brain stem to the eye. The usual disorders causing Horner's syndrome include cerebrovascular accidents and neoplasms of the neck and thorax. Iatrogenic causes are less common and are seen as complications of carotid angiography, Swan–Ganz catheterization through the internal jugular vein, and rarely after operations in the cervical region — e.g., thyroidectomy and carotid surgery.¹ We had the opportunity to observe a case of Horner's syndrome that developed as a complication of thoracostomy-tube.