Lateral Femoral Cutaneous Nerve: Variety in Conduction (Seror

Kim, Hyun Young; Han, Yang Sook; Koh, Seong Ho; Kim, Ju han; Kim, Seung Hyun

Ann Clin Neurophysiol > 2006 ;8(2) > Article

Ann Clin Neurophysiol. 2006; 8(2): 152-157.

Hyun Young Kim, Yang Sook Han, Seong Ho Koh, Ju han Kim, and Seung Hyun Kim

This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0) which permits unrestricted non-commercial use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

ABSTRACT

Background: Meralgia paresthesia (MP) is characterized by sensory impairment in the anterolateral aspect of the thigh and usually caused by a lateral femoral cutaneous nerve (LFCN) lesion. It is well known that several physiologic factors including age, obesity, and sex can affect nerve conduction. This study aimed to determine whether body mass index (BMI) and age can influence on the conduction velocity and action potential amplitude of the LFCN.

Methods: Fifty six individuals without any previous neuromuscular disease participated in this study. LFCN was studied orthodromically,distally from the anterior superior iliac spine. The values, such as sensory nerve action potential (SNAP) amplitude and sensory nerve conduction velocity (NCV) were obtained. SNAP of the LFCN were formed on both sides in forty three individuals.

Results: No difference of demographic factors was observed between two groups divided according to the presence of SNAP formation. BMI had a significant relationship with SNAP amplitude and NCV of the LFCN. Moreover, Multiple regression analyses of nerve conduction values showed the significant correlation of body mass index and age with nerve conduction velocity.

Conclusions: We may suggest that nerve conduction of the LFCN can be affected by age and BMI. Further study to obtain normal nerve conduction data and compare these data with those of meralgia paresthetica patients should be continued.

Key words: Lateral femoral cutaneous nerve, Nerve conduction, Variability, Meralgia paresthetica