Obturator nerve

see obturator nerve transfer

In patients presenting with predominantly motor symptoms, some groups routinely biopsy mixed or pure motor nerves such as the the obturator nerve branch to the gracilis muscle 1).

Thirteen patients with unilateral dense facial paralysis underwent a one-stage facial reanimation with a gracilis flap powered by a double donor neural input, provided by both the ipsilateral masseteric nerve (coaptation by an end-to-end neurorrhaphy with the obturator nerve) and the contralateral facial nerve (coaptation through a cross-face nerve graft: end-to-end neurorrhaphy on the healthy side and end-to-side neurorrhaphy on the obturator nerve, distal to the masseteric/obturator neurorrhaphy) 2).

Block

Ultrasound standard for obturator nerve block: the modified Taha's approach 3).

1)
Abouzahr MK, Lange DJ, Latov N, Olarte M, Rowland LP, Hays AP, et al.: Diagnostic biopsy of the motor nerve to the gracilis muscle. Technical note. J Neurosurg 87:122–124, 1997
2)
Sforza C, Frigerio A, Mapelli A, Tarabbia F, Annoni I, Colombo V, Latiff M, Pimenta Ferreira CL, Rabbiosi D, Sidequersky FV, Zago M, Biglioli F. Double-powered free gracilis muscle transfer for smile reanimation: A longitudinal optoelectronic study. J Plast Reconstr Aesthet Surg. 2015 Jul;68(7):930-9. doi: 10.1016/j.bjps.2015.03.029. Epub 2015 Apr 21. PubMed PMID: 26026222.
3)
Lin JA, Nakamoto T, Yeh SD. Ultrasound standard for obturator nerve block: the modified Taha's approach. Br J Anaesth. 2015 Feb;114(2):337-9. doi: 10.1093/bja/aeu467. PubMed PMID: 25596216.