Sciatic nerve palsy caused by haematoma from iliac bone graft donor site

A 27-year-old woman developed a haematoma-related compressive neuropathy of the right sciatic nerve following the harvesting of a bone graft from the posterior aspect of the right iliac crest. The nerve was compressed in an enclosed compartment between the sciatic notch and the piriformis muscle, which is thought to be involved in the piriformis syndrome. The symptoms improved once the haematoma was evacuated, and this complication stresses the importance of adequate haemostasis of the area from which the bone graft is taken.