Following harvesting of the great saphenous vein for coronary artery bypass grafting, a patient complains of persistent numbness along the medial side of the leg up to the medial border of the foot. Which nerve was most likely injured during the stripping procedure?

• A Sural nerve
• B Deep fibular nerve
• C Saphenous nerve ✓
• D Medial femoral cutaneous nerve

Explanation

The saphenous nerve, the longest cutaneous branch of the femoral nerve, runs alongside the femoral artery in the adductor canal and then accompanies the great saphenous vein along the medial leg to the medial foot. Stripping or harvesting the great saphenous vein frequently injures it, producing numbness over exactly this distribution. The sural nerve serves the posterolateral leg and lateral foot, the deep fibular nerve only the first dorsal web space, and the medial femoral cutaneous nerve stops at the knee level.

Reference: Gray's Anatomy for Students, 4th ed.

High-yield for: NEET PGINI-CETNExTFMGEUSMLEPLABMRCP

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