ArticleThe Journal of bone and joint surgery. American volume2016
The Anatomical Course of the Lateral Femoral Cutaneous Nerve with Special Attention to the Anterior Approach to the Hip Joint.
Article in The Journal of bone and joint surgery. American volume, 2016. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. It is linked to 2 registered trials, which are not on this map. Cited by 52 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
What it found
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
The Influence of Different Doses of Local Anesthetic on the Distribution of Anesthesia of the Lateral Femoral Cutaneous Nerve - a Randomized, Blinded, Paired Study of Healthy Individuals
Optimising Analgesia for Lateral Hip Arthroplasty Incision: Can a Subcostal Nerve Block Add Benefit to a Lateral Femoral Cutaneous Nerve Block?
Who cites it
52 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 129 citations in OpenAlex.
- Comparisons between Direct Anterior Approach and Lateral Approach for Primary Total Hip Arthroplasty in Postoperative Orthopaedic Complications: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.Orthopaedic surgery · 2021Pooled it
- Comparison of the Clinical Efficacy of the Anterolateral and Regular Approaches for Hip Joint Puncture: A Randomized Cross-Over Trial.Orthopaedic surgery · 2025Trial
- Comparison of postoperative outcomes between bikini-incision via direct anterior approach and posterolateral approach in simultaneous bilateral total hip arthroplasty: a randomized controlled trial.Scientific reports · 2023Trial
- Preoperative ultrasound to map the three-dimensional anatomical distribution of the lateral femoral cutaneous nerve in direct anterior approach for total hip arthroplasty.Journal of orthopaedic surgery and research · 2021Trial
- Comparable Early Functional Recovery Between Robotics-Assisted Superior Transverse Atraumatic Reconstruction (STAR) Total Hip Arthroplasty and the Direct Anterior Approach: A Six-Month Propensity-Matched Study.Journal of clinical medicine · 2026Article
- Lateral Femoral Cutaneous Nerve Neuroma Resection and Nerve Capping after Direct Anterior Approach: A Case Report.Journal of orthopaedic case reports · 2026Article
- A Nerve Injury After Total Hip Arthroplasty from Etiology to Treatment: A Narrative Review.Journal of clinical medicine · 2026Review
- Nerve injury after total hip arthroplasty: etiology, preventive strategies and medico-legal considerations.Annals of medicine · 2025Review
- Applied anatomical study of direct anterior approach total hip arthroplasty: optimizing surgical procedures and shortening learning curve.Archives of orthopaedic and trauma surgery · 2025Article
- Lateral Femoral Cutaneous Nerve Radiofrequency Ablation for Meralgia Paresthetica: A Description of a Novel Technique.Advances in therapy · 2025Article
- Review
- In Vivo Anatomical Variations in the Lateral Femoral Cutaneous Nerve in Children.Children (Basel, Switzerland) · 2025Article
- The Lateral Femoral Cutaneous Nerve is at High Risk During Direct Anterior Approach to the Hip Joint Due to Proximity and Anatomic Variations: A Cadaveric Study.Medeniyet medical journal · 2025Article
- Hip hemiarthroplasty through the anterior based muscle sparing approach for femoral neck fractures: an operative technique.Frontiers in surgery · 2025Article
- For many but not for all: the bikini incision direct anterior approach for total hip arthroplasty. A narrative review.Journal of orthopaedics and traumatology : official journal of the Italian Society of Orthopaedics and Traumatology · 2024Review
- Enhancing recovery: surgical techniques and rehabilitation strategies after direct anterior hip arthroplasty.Journal of orthopaedics and traumatology : official journal of the Italian Society of Orthopaedics and Traumatology · 2024Review
- Incidence of Lateral Femoral Cutaneous Nerve Dysfunction After Total Hip Arthroplasty Through the Anterior-Based Muscle-Sparing Surgical Approach.Arthroplasty today · 2024Article
- Comparison of clinical and radiological outcomes for the anterior and medial approaches to open reduction in the treatment of bilateral developmental dysplasia of the hip: a systematic review protocol.Systematic reviews · 2024Article
- Meralgia Paresthetica-An Approach Specific Neurological Complication in Patients Undergoing DAA Total Hip Replacement: Anatomical and Clinical Considerations.Life (Basel, Switzerland) · 2024Article
- High-resolution ultrasound in the evaluation of the adult hip.Journal of ultrasonography · 2023Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
5 authors at 2 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundInjury to the lateral femoral cutaneous nerve (LFCN) is a risk during the operative anterior approach to the hip joint. Although several anatomical studies have described the proximal course of the nerve in relation to the anterior superior iliac spine (ASIS) and the inguinal ligament, the distal course of the LFCN in the proximal aspect of the thigh has not been sufficiently studied. The aim of this cadaveric study was to examine the branching pattern of the nerve, with special consideration to the anterior approach to the hip joint.
methodsTwenty-eight cadaveric hemipelves from 18 donors (10 paired and 8 unpaired specimens) were dissected. The LFCN branches were localized proximal to the inguinal ligament and traced distally into the area of the proximal aspect of the thigh. Distribution patterns of the nerve with respect to its relationship to the ASIS and the internervous plane of the anterior approach to the hip joint were recorded.
resultsWe found 3 different branching patterns of the LFCN: sartorius-type (in 36% of the specimens), characterized by a dominant anterior nerve branch coursing along the lateral border of the sartorius muscle with no, or only a thin, posterior branch; posterior-type (in 32%), characterized by a strong posterior nerve branch; and fan-type (in 32%), characterized by multiple spreading nerve branches of equal thickness. In 50% of the specimens, the LFCN divided into ≥2 branches superior to the inguinal ligament. Sixty-two percent of the LFCN branches entered the proximal aspect of the thigh medial to the ASIS; 27%, above; and 11%, lateral to the ASIS. The LFCN consistently coursed within the deep layer of the subcutaneous fat tissue.
conclusionsInjury to branches of the LFCN cannot be avoided in approximately one-third of surgical dissections that use the anterior approach to the hip joint. To protect the anterior branch of the LFCN, the skin incision should be as lateral as possible. The posterior branch of the LFCN is most vulnerable in the proximal aspect of the anterior approach to the hip joint, where it can be expected to course within the deep layer of the subcutaneous tissue.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.