Meralgia paresthetica: etiology, diagnosis, and outcome of surgical decompression.

Entrapment of the lateral femoral cutaneous (LFC) nerve as a source of anterolateral thigh dysesthesias has been recognized for 100 years. Despite this historic recognition, its diagnosis today is often delayed, and definitive treatment of refractory cases by surgical decompression rarely reported. This study describes 26 LFC entrapments in 23 patients whose etiologies include iliac crest bone graft harvesting, seat belt injury associated with motor vehicle accident, and diabetes. Twenty-two of the 23 patients (25 of the 26 entrapments) achieved good to excellent outcomes following surgical decompression of the LFC nerve.