Sciatic Nerve Injury Caused by Biting of a Centipede - A Case Report - |
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Abstract |
Objectives: There are few medical reports about the biting injury by centipede either within or outside of Korea. The bite injury usually causes localized edema and pain, renal failure or shock. However there has been no report of nerve injury caused by centipede. We report one case of sciatic nerve injury caused by a centipede. Methods: A 54-year old healthy man visited our hospital due to motor and sensory impairments of right lower extremity one month after bite by a centipede. On physical examination, there were weakness of right knee flexor, ankle dorsiflexor and plantarflexor as well as toe flexor and extensor muscles. Electrodiagnostic study revealed incomplete sciatic nerve lesion involving tibial and peroneal component around the bite site. Comprehensive rehabilitation treatment including oral steroid, strengthening exercises and electrical stimulation therapy was administered on daily basis. One month after treatment, physical examination revealed increased muscle strength (good grade) of all weakened muscles. Electrodiagnostic study showed improvement, too. The centipede species was identified as Scolopendra subspinipes multilans. Conclusion: Nerve injury caused by centipede has not been reported, yet. We report a case of sciatic nerve injury caused by a centipede and it had good prognosis. |
Key Words:
Sciatic nerve, Nerve injury, Centipede |
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