title: Pediatric sciatic neuropathies: a 30-year prospective study.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The incidence, cause, and prognosis of sciatic neuropathy in children is not well understood. We report our 30-year experience of 53 patients with pediatric sciatic neuropathies (SN).
  
  
  METHODS
  Prospective review of the history, physical examination, electrophysiologic findings, and clinical course of children with SN.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The etiology of SN injury was varied and included trauma (13), iatrogenic causes (13) (8 orthopedic surgeries and 5 miscellaneous surgeries), prolonged extrinsic compression and immobilization (6), tumors (7), vascular (5), idiopathic and progressive (4), infantile and nonprogressive (2), and unknown, presumed postviral (3). Electrophysiologic studies demonstrated abnormalities in motor conduction studies of the peroneal nerve in 44/53 (83%) or tibial nerve in 35/51 (67%). Sensory conduction studies were abnormal in sural nerve in 34 of 43 cases (79%), and superficial peroneal nerves in 15/25 (60%). Needle EMG was abnormal in peroneal innervated muscles in all subjects, in tibial nerve innervated muscles in 43/51 (84%), and in the hamstrings in 18/29 (62%). Prognosis for recovery was variable and depended on the etiology and the severity of the nerve injury.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  SN is an uncommon mononeuropathy in children. The causes of SN are varied in children compared to adults. Electrophysiologic studies in children may be limited by poor tolerance but play an important role in establishing the diagnosis.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, Lahey Clinic, 41 Mall Road, Burlington, MA 01805, USA. jayashri_srinivasan@lahey.org
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Srinivasan
authors.forename: M M
authors.initials: MM
authors.lastname: Ryan
authors.forename: D M
authors.initials: DM
authors.lastname: Escolar
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Darras
authors.forename: H R
authors.initials: HR
authors.lastname: Jones
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D004568:Electrodiagnosis; D004576:Electromyography; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D008297:Male; D009431:Neural Conduction / Q000502:physiology; D019637:Orthopedic Procedures / Q000009:adverse effects; D011379:Prognosis; D011446:Prospective Studies; D020426:Sciatic Neuropathy / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000209:etiology / Q000503:physiopathology*