Delayed femoral nerve palsy following femoral vessel catheterization.

We report two cases with a delayed complication of femoral vessel catheterization: femoral nerve entrapment by iliacus hematoma. Both patients had femoral artery catheterization and postoprocedural anticoagulation, followed by iliacus hematoma eruption on the side of catheterization. Diagnosis was confirmed by computed tomography and electrodiagnostic studies. The pathogenesis of iliacus hematoma-induced femoral neuropathy has been studied in detail; however, the authors could find no previous reports of catheterization causing this phenomenon. The association is probably under reported because of the delayed manifestation. Awareness of this complication could (1) minimize the neuropathy, by insuring early diagnosis and treatment and (2) reduce its incidence, by avoiding trauma to the iliacus muscle during catheterization.