Lateral femoral cutaneous nerve conduction v somatosensory evoked potentials for electrodiagnosis of meralgia paresthetica

The aim of this study is to compare sensory nerve conduction with somatosen sory evoked potentials of the lateral femoral cutaneous nerve to determine which is the most reliable electrodiagnostic method to assess meralgia pare sthetica. Thirty patients with unilateral clinically defined meralgia pares thetica and 30 controls were studied with both methods. The main outcome me asures were sensory action potential side-to-side amplitude ratio, somatose nsory evoked potentials side-to-side latency difference, and side-to-side a mplitude ratio. Sensory nerve conduction was abnormal in all patients: only four participants had abnormal somatosensory evoked potentials with double derivation (Fr/Cz and Ci/Cc) recording, and eight participants had abnorma l findings with Fz/Cz derivation. Overall, this study demonstrates that sen sory nerve conduction is the more reliable method for meralgia paresthetica electrodiagnosis. In fact, only very serious nerve damage regularly induce s abnormal somatosensory evoked potentials, which is not recommended for ro utine electrodiagnostic study of meralgia paresthetica.