SUBCUTANEOUS COURSE OF SAPHENOUS NERVE IN MIDTHIGH REGION

Saphenous nerve is a pure sensory nerve which may get compromised as a result of complication of a surgical procedure or entrapment leading to pain and numbness in the medial side of thigh, knee and leg. Secondly, adductor canal block is given very frequently now days to anaesthetize the saphenous nerve for providing analgesia after knee surgeries. During routine cadaveric dissection of the front of thigh, we observed an interesting finding that the saphenous nerve did not follow the usual course in the adductor canal. The saphenous nerve pierced the sartorius in the middle of adductor canal and became subcutaneous. This variant course of the saphenous nerve through the sartorius can be the site of entrapment or it may be the cause of failure of adductor canal block. Although saphenous nerve is a purely sensory nerve, in this condition there is possibility of having motor fibres also which may supply Sartorius while passing through it.