Background:

meralgia paresthetica is an entrapment mononeuropathy which cause pain, paresthesias and sensory loss within the distribution of the lateral cutaneous nerve of the thigh.

Objective:

to update and to deepen in the most important aspects of meralgia paresthetica.

Methods:

a revision of the literature was made in English and Spanish, available in PubMed Central, Hinari and SciELO. The following descriptors were used: meralgia paresthetica, mononeuropathy, lateral cutaneous nerve of the thigh. Base on the obtained data, a bibliographic revision was made of 107 published articles, including 34 cites selected for the research, 24 of them of the last five years.

Development:

it was focus in those controversial topics like: anatomic characteristics, etiological factors, clinical presentation, complementary studies and treatment.

Conclusions:

meralgia paresthetica is a medical challenge; due to it can simulate common illness like lumbar disorders. It is a self limited disease which is diagnosed basing on a high suspicious index with an adequate knowledge of the anatomy, physiopathology, etiological factors and clinical elements. The treatment, although with lack of consensus, offers favorable results in most of the patients.

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