SHORT-TERM FEMORAL NERVE COMPLICATIONS FOLLOWING PERCUTANEOUS TRANSFEMORAL PROCEDURES

PURPOSE: To determine the prevalence of transient femoral nerve anesth esia following transfemoral angiographic procedures. PATIENTS AND METH ODS: Fifty-eight patients undergoing a variety of routine transfemoral procedures underwent a neurologic assessment within an hour of the pr ocedure. RESULTS: Nine patients (16%) were found to have complete or p artial deficits in the ipsilateral femoral nerve territory. All defici ts were transient. CONCLUSIONS: Transient femoral nerve deficits are n ot uncommon following transfemoral procedures. With the advent of true outpatient vascular procedures (where the patient may walk away after only a 30-minute recovery period following a transvenous intervention or after 60 minutes following arteriography), transient neurologic pr oblems related to the infiltration of local anesthetic around the femo ral artery assume real clinical importance.