Tracking of Fascicles of Cutaneous Nerves of Thigh: A Histological Study

Abstract

Present study uncovers the secrets of internal morphology of femoral nerve branches namely, cutaneous trunk, subcutaneous trunks, saphenous, medial cutaneous and intermedius cutaneous nerves innervating the skin of anteromedial thigh at fascicular level. Therefore, the aim of the study is to track, correlate, interpret and identify the pathways of fascicles through histological slides. The femoral nerve and its branching points were calibrated in distances from inguinal ligament. These trunks and nerves of a cadaver were processed for histological slides staining with haematoxylin and eosin. The fascicles in the histological slides were identified, tracked, correlated and interpreted from cranial most slide to the last terminal slides of these nerves and trunks. The correlation of the pathways of fascicles revealed that these fascicles are continuous, consistent and traceable interrupted by split, fusion and multiplexing. Femoral nerve branches/fascicles/nerve fibres if damaged, impair the sensation of corresponding area of skin of anteromedial thigh creating helm of neurological complications. Hence the injured fascicles can be repaired with the help of identification and correlation of fascicular pathways carried out in this study with least invasion. The findings of present study will be of paramount importance for intraoperative stimulation to diagnose and identify the fascicle for microneurosurgical repair/graft/regenerate/neurotisation in the cutaneous branches of femoral nerve at fascicular level.