Obturator Nerve Variations: A Narrative Review

The aim is to understand the clinical significance of these variations in surgeries and diseases. To conduct this review, we used the PubMed database, considering factors such as the availability of full texts, the language and relevance to the topic, in order to acquire comprehensive and detailed findings. After applying our exclusion criteria, we narrowed the findings down to 11 useful results. Throughout our study, we observed significant variations concerning the obturator nerve. The nerve displays diverse paths and trajectories, leading to deviations from the commonly accepted anatomical description. Additionally, we identified variations in the division point of the obturator nerve and the resulting innervation patterns that it provides for muscles, joints, and skin. More precisely, we discovered differences regarding the path, the source and the level of composition. Moreover, the muscles innervated by the obturator nerve's anterior branch and posterior branch may vary. Furthermore, variations were observed in the innervation of both the skin and joints. CONCLUSION: Our research demonstrates that the obturator nerve is susceptible to many forms of variations. Accurate knowledge of these variations is crucial for minimizing iatrogenic complications and ensuring patient care.