Contralateral Obturator Nerve to Femoral Nerve Transfer for Restoration of Knee Extension After Acute Flaccid Myelitis: A Case Report

CASE: A 7-year-old boy presented with left femoral and obturator nerves (ONs) palsy after an asthmatic attack with a viral prodrome, and his right lower limb was unaffected. He was diagnosed with acute flaccid myelitis (AFM) after positive spinal magnetic resonance imaging findings. After contralateral ON to femoral nerve transfer (CONFNT), his left quadriceps was reinnervated at 5.5 months, full knee extension was recovered at 14 months, and good functional outcomes were achieved at 31 months.

CONCLUSIONS: This first clinical report on CONFNT demonstrated a feasible good alternative in treating young patients with AFM with unilateral L2-L4 palsy and short duration of deficit.