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24: Femoral Neuropathy

DOI:

10.1891/9780826172136.0024

Authors

  • Cushman, Dan

Abstract

Femoral nerve injuries are uncommon, and thus easily missed. The femoral nerve innervates the hip flexors and knee extensors, which are key muscle groups in ambulation. The saphenous nerve is a distal extension of the femoral nerve. The most common causes for femoral nerve injury are iatrogenic from surgery, particularly abdominal and pelvic, related to lithotomy positioning or compression from retractors. History of present illness and physical examination are important components in electrodiagnostic assessment as they help the examiner to localize the lesion. The chapter discusses the anatomy of femur: inguinal ligament; femoral triangle (Scarpa triangle); and Hunter canal. It provides a brief description on electrodiagnostic approach for femoral neuropathy. Nerve conduction study can be quite uncomfortable due to nerve depth.