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Morphological variability of lateral femoral cutaneous nerve and its potential clinical significance
Affiliations- Department of Anatomical Dissection and Donation, Medical University of Lodz, Łódź, Poland
- Department of Anatomical Sciences, St. George’s University, West Indies, Grenada
- Department of Neurosurgery, Tulane University School of Medicine, New Orleans, LA, USA
- Department of Neurology, Tulane University School of Medicine, New Orleans, LA, USA
- Department of Structural and Cellular Biology, Tulane University School of Medicine, New Orleans, LA, USA
- Department of Surgery, Tulane University School of Medicine, New Orleans, LA, USA
- Department of Neurosurgery, Ochsner Medical Center, New Orleans, LA, USA
- Clinic of Orthopaedic and Pediatric Orthopaedics, Medical University of Lodz, Łódź, Poland
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Abstract
Background: The lateral femoral cutaneous nerve is derived from the dorsal branches of the L2 and L3 spinal nerves. It travels across the pelvis and heads towards the anterior superior iliac spine. It passes under the lateral part of the inguinal ligament and then divides into two branches, which are responsible for sensory innervation of the anterolateral and lateral skin of the thigh. However, the course of this nerve can vary morphologically. Numerous differences have been observed in its exit from the pelvis and in the number of its main trunks and branches. Additionally, its angle with the inguinal ligament and its placement in relation to other structures (such as the femoral artery, femoral nerve, and the sartorius and iliacus muscles) also vary. All of these variants have potential clinical implications. Therefore, the aim of this review is to present the morphological variability of the lateral cutaneous nerve and to explore how these anatomical differences can introduce clinical concerns.
Materials and methods: Presented review of the literature was written based on over 30 studies. Comprehensive literature search was done using PubMed in order to study the morphological variability of lateral femoral cutaneous nerve (LFCN). To be included in this review studies needed to be meet certain criteria: been published before December 2023, present information valuable to this paper (variability of lateral femoral cutaneous nerve/clinical significance). The search included how LFCN vary either among fetuses and adults in the aim of providing more complex information about the variability of this nerve. During the search key words as following were used. No particular references were excluded from the analysis. All relevant studies were included, and citation tracking was used to identify publications.
Results: This review presents the description of variability of LFCN and its potential clinical impact. In the review differences in adult and fetuses were considered, morphological variability were divided into 4 groups: the origin of the nerve, the way it leaves the pelvis, the branching pattern, the angle between LFCN and surrounding structures and then, clinical significance were considered basing on available literature.
Abstract
Background: The lateral femoral cutaneous nerve is derived from the dorsal branches of the L2 and L3 spinal nerves. It travels across the pelvis and heads towards the anterior superior iliac spine. It passes under the lateral part of the inguinal ligament and then divides into two branches, which are responsible for sensory innervation of the anterolateral and lateral skin of the thigh. However, the course of this nerve can vary morphologically. Numerous differences have been observed in its exit from the pelvis and in the number of its main trunks and branches. Additionally, its angle with the inguinal ligament and its placement in relation to other structures (such as the femoral artery, femoral nerve, and the sartorius and iliacus muscles) also vary. All of these variants have potential clinical implications. Therefore, the aim of this review is to present the morphological variability of the lateral cutaneous nerve and to explore how these anatomical differences can introduce clinical concerns.
Materials and methods: Presented review of the literature was written based on over 30 studies. Comprehensive literature search was done using PubMed in order to study the morphological variability of lateral femoral cutaneous nerve (LFCN). To be included in this review studies needed to be meet certain criteria: been published before December 2023, present information valuable to this paper (variability of lateral femoral cutaneous nerve/clinical significance). The search included how LFCN vary either among fetuses and adults in the aim of providing more complex information about the variability of this nerve. During the search key words as following were used. No particular references were excluded from the analysis. All relevant studies were included, and citation tracking was used to identify publications.
Results: This review presents the description of variability of LFCN and its potential clinical impact. In the review differences in adult and fetuses were considered, morphological variability were divided into 4 groups: the origin of the nerve, the way it leaves the pelvis, the branching pattern, the angle between LFCN and surrounding structures and then, clinical significance were considered basing on available literature.
Keywords
lateral femoral cutaneous nerve, inguinal ligament, femoral region, meralgia paresthetica, lumbar plexus, thigh innervation, systematic review, nerve variability, morphological variation
About this articleTitle
Morphological variability of lateral femoral cutaneous nerve and its potential clinical significance
Journal
Issue
Article type
Review article
Published online
2024-04-26
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44
Article views/downloads
32
Keywords
lateral femoral cutaneous nerve
inguinal ligament
femoral region
meralgia paresthetica
lumbar plexus
thigh innervation
systematic review
nerve variability
morphological variation
Authors
Kinga Włudyka
Nicol Zielinska
Richard Shane Tubbs
Krystian Maślanka
Andrzej Borowski
Marek Drobniewski
Łukasz Olewnik
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