Surgical course of lateral femoral cutaneous nerve during anterior exposure of paediatric hips: an observational study

Anterior approach to the hip joint is commonly used for paediatric hip disorders. Lateral femoral cutaneous nerve (LFCN) is always exposed and dissected in this approach before deep dissection is carried out. The course of this nerve has been described in adults but there is a lack of literature regarding this in the paediatric age group. This study aimed to find the surgical anatomy of LFCN in children during the anterior approach to the hip. A total of 51 paediatric hip surgeries were done in 45 children for various hip disorders. The anterior exposure was done by the Somerville approach (Bikini incision). During surgical exposure, LFCN was exposed and its relationship to anterior superior iliac spine (ASIS), inguinal ligament and sartorius muscle was observed. In most of the cases (45/51) it was found as a single trunk below the inguinal ligament and medial to the ASIS. In one hip, multiple branches of the nerve were found just below the inguinal ligament. In four hip exposures, the nerve was not found in the surgical field and in one case nerve was accidentally cut during surgery as it was lying adherent to ASIS. There was no significant correlation between the observational parameters of the nerve with anthropometric variables. Nerve was mostly seen in area 5-25 mm medial to ASIS and 10-50 mm below the ASIS in 80% of our surgical exposures where the nerve was isolated. We observed that once LFCN is dissected, the injury during further surgical procedures can be prevented.