LIPOMATOSIS OF THE SCIATIC NERVE: REPORT OF A CASE AND REVIEW OF THE LITERATURE

We report a case of lipomatosis of the sciatic nerve, also known as lipofibromatous hamartoma. A male, 26-year-old, presented with gait impairment, leg pain, and foot drop compatible with sciatic nerve's compression. The preoperative magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) revealed diffuse thickening of the proximal third of the sciatic nerve with adipose tissue interspersed among the nerve fascicles. Internal neurolysis was performed with microsurgical techniques under high magnification. The patient was followed up for a period of 34 months. He significantly recovered, and there was no clinical recurrence of the tumor. (C) 2008 Wiley-Liss, Inc. Microsurgery 29:66-71, 2009.