AAEE case report #19: ischemic monomelic neuropathy.

A case study of a 50-year-old man who awakened from aortobifemoral bypass graft surgery with painful burning and numbness of the left foot is reported. Angiography showed embolic occlusion of the left popliteal artery proximal to the knee. Nerve conduction studies performed 1 year after occlusion showed loss or severe reduction of distal left sensory and motor amplitudes, and needle electrode examination showed fibrillation potentials in foot and distal leg muscles. The findings were felt to represent the result of acute ischemic nerve damage in the left leg. The clinical and electromyographic features of this entity will be described and comparisons will be drawn to experimental ischemic neuropathy and diabetic neuropathy.