Objective:

To describe the management of lower extremity nerve injuries at a plastic and reconstructive surgery referral center in Mexico City.

Method:

A descriptive, transversal and retrospective study was performed, evaluating clinical records of patients with lower extremity nerve injuries managed in our center between 2010 and 2018.

Results:

Twenty-one patients were included, 14 males (66.6%) and 7 females (33.3%); mean age was 30.00 ± 8.89 years. Right-sided injuries were more prevalent (52.3%). The most common etiologies were gunshot injuries (28.5%) and motor vehicle accidents (13.6%). The most frequently affected nerves were the sciatic (38.0%) and the peroneal nerves (38.0%), followed by the tibial (9.5%), simultaneous tibial and peroneal nerve injury (9.5%) and the femoral nerve (4.7%). Nerve transfers (7 cases, 33.3%) and autologous nerve grafts (7 cases, 33.3%) were the preferred surgical techniques for injury management.

Conclusions:

Repair of lower extremity nerve injuries has not been popularized, however our study shows that several microsurgical reconstructive strategies are available in order to improve functional outcomes.