Is triamcinolone an easy and efficient way to treat meralgia paresthetica? A cohort study

Abstract

Introduction: Meralgia paresthetica (MP) is a painful mononeuropathy of the lateral femoral cutaneous nerve. It is usually idiopathic and can be treated with drugs used for neuropathic pain such as pregabalin, gabapentin, and amitriptyline. Objectives: This study was done to study the effect of triamcinolone acetonide on drug refractory MP. Methods: This study was a retrospective case file review. Results: Eight patients were treated with local injections of triamcinolone. The patients were followed up for a period of 4 months to 54 months. There was significant symptomatic improvement with six patients having complete improvement and all patients reporting >50% improvement. Patients who had recurrence of symptoms on follow up received up to four injections as per their requirement and repeated injections also produced >50% symptom relief. Conclusion: Triamcinolone acetonide injected locally seems to be an effective and safe treatment for refractory MP. A randomized control trial has been planned to look for efficacy and safety.