title: Meralgia paraesthetica following open appendicectomy.
abstract: Meralgia paraesthetica is a painful condition attributed to entrapment or injury to the lateral femoral cutaneous nerve. It has been described following operations which could result in direct injury to the nerve such as iliac crest bone harvesting. It has also been reported following surgery remote from the nerve. Following open appendicectomy injury may occur following direct trauma to an anatomical variant of this nerve, which can occur in up to 25% of the population. We report two cases that became clinically evident immediately following open appendicectomy with subsequent confirmatory electromyography studies. Meralgia paraesthetica following open appendicectomy has not been reported in the medical literature. This is an under-recognised complication of open appendicectomy. Management can be challenging for patient and clinician.
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery, St Vincent's University Hospital, Elm Park & University College Dublin. dara_kav@hotmail.com
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Kavanagh
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Connolly
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Fleming
authors.forename: A D K
authors.initials: AD
authors.lastname: Hill
authors.forename: E W
authors.initials: EW
authors.lastname: McDermott
authors.forename: N J
authors.initials: NJ
authors.lastname: O'Higgens
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001062:Appendectomy / Q000009:adverse effects* / Q000379:methods; D005260:Female; D020428:Femoral Neuropathy / Q000209:etiology*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D010292:Paresthesia / Q000209:etiology*