The aim of this comprehensive study was to gain better understanding of the risk factors, etiologies, electrodiagnostic (EDX) features, and clinical course of femoral neuropathy.  

We identified 165 cases of femoral neuropathy for inclusion. The most common femoral neuropathy etiologies included: compressive (38%) from retroperitoneal/inguinal lesions or prolonged positioning; stretch (35%) post-operatively; and toxic/inflammatory (10%). Presenting symptoms included weakness (96%), sensory loss (73%), and pain (53%). Presenting motor physical exam findings demonstrated moderate weakness (34%) or no activation (26%) of knee extension and mild (32%) or moderate (35%) weakness of hip flexion. 121 (73%) patients underwent EDX testing including 23 with femoral motor nerve conduction studies. Treatment often involved physical therapy (89%) and was otherwise etiology-specific. In patients with follow-up data available (160), 80% experienced subjective clinical improvement at last follow-up with mean time to initial improvement 3.3 months and mean time to recovery at final follow up 14.7 months. 28 (17.5%) of patients experienced no symptomatic improvement at final follow up.