SEP DIAGNOSING NEUROPATHY OF THE LATERAL CUTANEOUS BRANCH OF THE ILIOHYPOGASTRIC NERVE

ABSTRACT- The article pertains to the uncommon clinical case of a patient with a proximal neuropathy of the lower extremity. It outlines the electrophysiological evaluation and reviews the medical literature. The electrophysiologic test that most accurately revealed the neuropathy was the segmental somatosenso-ry evoked potential (SEP) of the lateral cutaneous branch of the iliohypogastric nerve. It showed well-defined and replicable cortical waveforms following the excitation of the lateral cutaneous branch of the iliohypogas-tric nerve in the asymptomatic lower extremity, but failed to present somatosensory evoked potentials aris-ing from the excitation of the contralateral nerve in the symptomatic lower extremity. We did not find any previous reports diagnosing that particular pathology by the use of segmental SEP. In conclusion, it is impor-tant to remember that the accurate diagnosis of patients complaining of pain and dysesthesia in the prox-imal part of the lower extremities can possibly be achieved through the use of electrophysiologic tests such as the segmental SEP. KEY WORDS: neuropathy, nerve injury, nerve entrapment, iliohypogastric nerve, somatosensory evoked potential. Neuropatia do ramo cutâneo lateral do nervo ílio-hipogástrico diagnosticada por PES: relato de cas