Neuralgic amyotrophy of the lumbar area. Case report.

Two cases of a rare peripheral neurological disease (neuralgic amyotrophy of the lower extremity) are presented, with clinical symptoms (severe sciatic pain with motor paresis) that pose differential diagnostic difficulties against a hernia of a lumbar disk. Because of a tendency to heal by itself, the disease has a good prognosis. The diagnosis is based on a process of exclusion of herniated disks, lesions of the lumbar plexus in tumors or after radiation therapy, hematoma of the psoas after coagulation disturbances, birth, or trauma, and nutritive disruptions of the nervous system as in diabetes mellitus. Knowledge of the symptoms of this--in orthopedics--mostly unknown disease and critical interpretation of the clinical and medical-technical data are important to avoid wrong indications for surgery.