In the article Femoral Neuropathy: A Curse of Vaginal Hysterectomy, the authors Baxi, Kauhal, Kadi, and Baxi (2010) described the causes, treatment, and prevention for the condition called femoral neuropathy, which resulted as a side-effect of a vaginal hysterectomy. The authors studied 2 cases of women who underwent a vaginal hysterectomy and incurred femoral neuropathy.
The researchers’ findings showed that femoral neuropathy was caused by the extreme abduction of the thighs during a vaginal hysterectomy where the patient was in the lithotomy position for a prolonged period of time and where the patient was administered with regional anesthesia.
Based on the case studies conducted by the researchers, symptoms started to manifest a few days after the surgery and some of the difficulties that the patients experienced included frequent falling due to the buckling of the knee and a difficulty in climbing stairs. Patients generally felt weak at the quadriceps, which made it difficult for them to walk.
Treatment includes the intake of drugs, exercise, physical rehabilitation, and reassurance. Patients usually recover within a few weeks or a few months, with complete recovery occurring a year after the surgery. However, there are some instances when patients incur a certain level of permanent disability.
For prevention, the researchers recommended the use of the Lloyd-Davies leg support instead of stirrups to support the patients’ legs during a vaginal hysterectomy. Unlike the stirrups that can make the thighs excessively flexed, the Lloyd-Davies leg support can be adjusted for the appropriate positioning of the legs. The researchers also advised that surgical assistants not lean on the patient’s legs and to allot time for the patients’ legs to relax during a prolonged surgery.
In conclusion, the researchers stressed the importance of gynecologists being aware of this condition so that the risk of its occurrence can be reduced.
References
Baxi, A., Kaushal, M., Kadi. P. & Baxi, D. A. (2010). Femoral neuropathy: A curse of vaginal
Hysterectomy. Journal of Gynecologic Surgery, 26 (2), 171-174.
