Park HW, Ji KS, Kim JH, Kim LN, Ha KW. Ultrasonographic identification of lateral femoral cutaneous nerve anatomical variation in persistent meralgia paresthetica: A case report. World J Clin Cases 2023; 11(31): 7699-7705 [PMID: 38078129 DOI: 10.12998/wjcc.v11.i31.7699]
Corresponding Author of This Article
Kang-Wook Ha, MD, Chief Physician, Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Sahmyook Medical Center, No. 82 Mangu-ro, Dongdaemun-gu, Seoul 02500, Korea. wookster8888@gmail.com
Research Domain of This Article
Anatomy & Morphology
Article-Type of This Article
Case Report
Open-Access Policy of This Article
This article is an open-access article which was selected by an in-house editor and fully peer-reviewed by external reviewers. It is distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution Non Commercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited and the use is non-commercial. See: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/
World J Clin Cases. Nov 6, 2023; 11(31): 7699-7705 Published online Nov 6, 2023. doi: 10.12998/wjcc.v11.i31.7699
Ultrasonographic identification of lateral femoral cutaneous nerve anatomical variation in persistent meralgia paresthetica: A case report
Hyeong-Woo Park, Kyung-Suk Ji, Jun-Hyung Kim, Li-Na Kim, Kang-Wook Ha
Hyeong-Woo Park, Jun-Hyung Kim, Li-Na Kim, Kang-Wook Ha, Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Sahmyook Medical Center, Seoul 02500, South Korea
Kyung-Suk Ji, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Sahmyook Medical Center, Seoul 02500, South Korea
Author contributions: Kim LN, Ji KS, and Park HW conceptualization and methodology; Kim LN, Park HW, and Kim JH investigation; Park HW and Kim JH data curation and writing-original draft preparation; Ha KW and Park HW writing-review and editing; Kim LN and Ha KW supervision; all authors have read and agreed to the published version of the manuscript.
Informed consent statement: Informed written consent was obtained from the patient for publication of this report and any accompanying images.
Conflict-of-interest statement: The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.
CARE Checklist (2016) statement: The authors have read the CARE Checklist (2016), and the manuscript was prepared and revised according to the CARE Checklist (2016).
Open-Access: This article is an open-access article that was selected by an in-house editor and fully peer-reviewed by external reviewers. It is distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution NonCommercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited and the use is non-commercial. See: https://creativecommons.org/Licenses/by-nc/4.0/
Corresponding author: Kang-Wook Ha, MD, Chief Physician, Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Sahmyook Medical Center, No. 82 Mangu-ro, Dongdaemun-gu, Seoul 02500, Korea. wookster8888@gmail.com
Received: September 3, 2023 Peer-review started: September 3, 2023 First decision: September 28, 2023 Revised: October 19, 2023 Accepted: October 27, 2023 Article in press: October 27, 2023 Published online: November 6, 2023 Processing time: 64 Days and 2 Hours
Abstract
BACKGROUND
Meralgia paresthetica (MP) is an entrapment mononeuropathy of the lateral femoral cutaneous nerve (LFCN). Although structural abnormalities in nerve tissues can be confirmed using ultrasonography, this is not routinely performed.
CASE SUMMARY
Herein, we present the case of a 52-year-old woman who developed MP after laparoscopic gynecological surgery. The patient was referred to our clinic from an obstetrics and gynecology clinic with symptoms of numbness and a tingling sensation in the left anterolateral thigh, which developed after surgery performed 5 mo earlier. Tests were performed to assess the disease status and determine the underlying causes. Ultrasonographic examination revealed an anatomical variation, where the left LFCN was entrapped within the inguinal ligament. This case suggests that performing ultrasonographic examination before and after surgery in the lithotomy position could help prevent MP.
CONCLUSION
This case demonstrates the value of ultrasonography in detecting anatomical variation and diagnosing persistent MP. Ultrasonography should be considered an adjunct to electromyography for optimal MP management. Further, this case would help other clinicians determine patient prognosis and decide on targeted treatment strategies.
Core Tip: We describe a woman who developed meralgia paresthetica (MP) after laparoscopic gynecological surgery in the lithotomy position. The patient had an anatomical variation of the lateral femoral cutaneous nerve, entrapped within the inguinal ligament and detected by ultrasonography. The case suggests ultrasonography can help prevent and treat MP by identifying anatomical variations and nerve status before and after surgery.
