Femoral Neuropathy

Key Features

• May occur in persons with diabetes mellitus or from compression by retroperitoneal neoplasms or hematomas

• May also result from pressure from the inguinal ligament when the thighs are markedly flexed and abducted, as in the lithotomy position

• The neuropathy may be asymptomatic, resolve rapidly and spontaneously, or become progressively more disabling

Clinical Findings

• Weakness and wasting of the quadriceps muscle

• Sensory impairment over the anteromedian aspect of the thigh and sometimes also of the leg to the medial malleolus

• Depressed or absent knee jerk

Diagnosis

• Electromyography and nerve conduction velocities are often indispensable for accurate localization of the focal lesion

Treatment

• Improvement may occur if any compression is relieved