ANATOMICAL VARIABILITY OF CUTANEOUS NERVES OF ANTERIOR FEMORAL REGION IN HUMAN FETUSES

The aim: Is to find out the features of innervation of the skin of the anterior femoral region and the fascia lata during the fetal period of human development.

Materials and methods: The study was carried out on 64 preparations of the lower extremities of human fetuses of 4-10 months using macromicroscopic preparation and morphometry. Macropreparations of the skin nerves of the lower extremities of different age fetuses with anatomical variants were subject to photo documentation.

Results: The features of cutaneous nerve fetal topography of the anterior femoral region and the broad fascia of the femur were revealed, their connections were established, and their layering was determined. It was found that in human fetuses, not only the lateral cutaneous femoral nerve but in most cases the branches of other nerves of the lumbar plexus, except for the obturator nerve, are directed to the skin of the anterior-lateral femur surface. The innervation of the medial femur surface is provided by the following nerve complex: obturator, femoral, saphenous and genitofemoral nerves.

Conclusions: Taking into account the fact that the terminal branches of adjacent cutaneous nerves of the femoral region intersect and overlap, innervation bypasses are formed, due to which, in case of possible damage to one of the nerves, its insufficiency is compensated to a certain extent. Anastomoses were found between the cutaneous nerves, in the form of loops of various shapes and sizes, namely: between the cutaneous-fascia branches of the femoral and ilioinguinal nerves and the femoral and obturator nerves.