The differential diagnosis of groin pain must consider problems of the ilioinguinal and/or genitofemoral nerve. These nerves may become injured during hernia surgery or lower quadrant surgical procedures. To treat injury to these nerves, it is critical to understand their anatomic variability. In the present study the pattern of cutaneous nerve branches in the inguinal region was investigated through dissection in 64 halves of 32 human embalmed anatomic specimens. In contrast to usual textual descriptions, four different types of cutaneous branching patterns are identified: type A, with a dominance of genitofemoral nerve in the scrotal/labial and the ventromedial thigh region. In type A, the ilioinguinal nerve gives no sensory contribution to these regions (43.7 percent). In type B, with a dominance of ilioinguinal nerve, the genitofemoral nerve shares a branch with the ilioinguinal and gives motor fibers to cremaster muscle in the inguinal canal, but has no sensory branch to the groin (28.1 percent). In type C, with a dominance of genitofemoral nerve, the ilioinguinal nerve has sensory branches to the mons pubis and inguinal crease together with an anteroproximal part of the root of the penis or labia majora. The nerve was found to share a branch with the iliohypogastric nerve (20.3 percent). In type D, cutaneous branches emerge from both the ilioinguinal and the genitofemoral nerves. Additionally, the ilioinguinal nerve innervates the mons pubis and inguinal crease together with a very anteroproximal part of the root of the penis or labia majora (7.8 percent). The described patterns of innervation were bilaterally symmetric in 40.6 percent of the cadavers. The anatomic variability of both nerves has implications for all surgeons operating in the groin region and for those caring for the patient with groin pain.
This study was undertaken to quantify the effect of motor collateral sprouting in an end-to-side repair model allowing end organ contact. Besides documentation of the functional outcome of muscle reinnervation by end-to-side neurorrhaphy, this experimental work was performed to determine possible downgrading effects to the donor nerve at end organ level. In 24 female New Zealand White rabbits, the motor nerve branch to the rectus femoris muscle of the right hindlimb was dissected, cut, and sutured end-to-side to the motor branch to the vastus medialis muscle after creating an epineural window. The 24 rabbits were divided into two groups of 12 each, with the second group receiving additional crush injury of the vastus branch. After a period of 8 months, maximum tetanic tension in the reinnervated rectus femoris and the vastus medialis muscles was determined. The contralateral healthy side served as control. The reinnervated rectus femoris muscle showed an average maximum tetanic force of 24.9 N (control 26.2 N, p = 0.7827), and the donor- vastus medialis muscle 11.0 N (control 7.3 N, p = 0.0223). There were no statistically significant differences between the two experimental groups (p = 0.9914). The average number of regenerated myelinated nerve fibers in the rectus femoris motor branch was 1,185 +/- 342 (control, 806 +/- 166), and the mean diameter was 4.6 +/- 0.6 microm (control, 9.4 +/- 1.0 microm). In the motor branch to the vastus medialis muscle, the mean fiber number proximal to the coaptation site was 1227 (+/-441), and decreased distal to the coaptation site to 795 (+/-270). The average difference of axon counts in the donor nerve proximal to distal regarding the repair site was 483.7 +/- 264.2. In the contralateral motor branch to the vastus medialis muscle, 540 (+/- 175) myelinated nerve fibers were counted. In nearly all cross-section specimens of the motor branch to the vastus medialis muscle, altered nerve fibers could be identified in one fascicle distal and proximal to the repair site. The results show a relevant functional reinnervation by end-to-side neurorrhaphy without functional impairment of the donor muscle. It seems to be evident that most axons in the attached segment were derived from collateral sprouts. Nonetheless, the present study confirms that end-to-side neurorrhaphy is a reliable method of reconstruction for damaged nerves, which should be applied clinically in a more extended manner.
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