title: Clinical utility of sensory nerve conduction of medial femoral cutaneous nerve.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  In this investigation we report on the clinical utility of sensory nerve conduction studies of the medial femoral cutaneous (MFC) nerve.
  
  
  METHODS
  Sensory nerve conduction of the MFC nerve was assessed in 22 patients for whom this test was considered clinically necessary.
  
  
  RESULTS
  MFC nerve conduction was abnormal in 4 cases of MFC neuropathy. The most common cause was iatrogenic in 14 femoral neuropathy cases. MFC nerve conduction showed absent or low-amplitude sensory nerve action potential (SNAP) in 13 cases, with femoral motor nerve conduction abnormal in 5 cases. In 2 cases with acute lumbar plexopathy, the MFC SNAP was absent unilaterally. MFC nerve conduction was normal in 1 case with diabetic lumbar radiculopathy and in another case with postpolio syndrome.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Assessment of MFC nerve conduction is extremely useful in the diagnosis of femoral neuropathy, medial femoral cutaneous neuropathy, and lumbar plexopathy.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Veterans Affairs Medical Center, University Station, Birmingham, Alabama 35294, USA. shinjoh@charter.net
authors.forename: Shin J
authors.initials: SJ
authors.lastname: Oh
authors.forename: Yuki
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Hatanaka
authors.forename: Masayuki
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Ohira
authors.forename: Katsuimi
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Kurokawa
authors.forename: Gwen C
authors.initials: GC
authors.lastname: Claussen
mesh_terms: D000200:Action Potentials / Q000502:physiology*; D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D004558:Electric Stimulation; D004576:Electromyography; D005260:Female; D005267:Femoral Nerve / Q000503:physiopathology*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009431:Neural Conduction / Q000502:physiology*; D009460:Neurologic Examination; D010523:Peripheral Nervous System Diseases / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000503:physiopathology; D011930:Reaction Time; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012867:Skin / Q000294:innervation; D055815:Young Adult