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Veterinary Radiology & Ultrasound, 2017
Obi Veterinary Education
August 07, 2025
Christine Sievert, Henning Richter, Dominic Gascho, Patrick R. Kircher, Inés Carrera
Background
Peripheral neuropathies affecting the femoral and sciatic nerves can be challenging to diagnose due to overlapping clinical signs with orthopedic conditions. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is a key diagnostic tool for assessing nerve pathologies, but a detailed anatomical reference for normal canine femoral and sciatic nerves at 3 Tesla (3T) MRI is lacking. This study aimed to define the normal MRI anatomy of these nerves and identify optimal imaging sequences.
Methods
A two-part prospective study was conducted, including a cadaveric feasibility study followed by an in vivo study in 10 healthy Beagle dogs. The MRI protocol included T1-weighted, T2-weighted, T2-Spectral Attenuated Inversion Recovery (T2-SPAIR), T1-weighted postcontrast, and T1-Spectral Presaturated Inversion Recovery (T1-SPIR) postcontrast sequences. Nerve signal intensity, symmetry, contrast enhancement, and anatomical relationships were analyzed.
Results
The femoral and sciatic nerves were consistently visualized in all sequences, appearing symmetric with homogeneous signal intensity. Nerves were iso- to mildly hyperintense to muscle on T2-weighted and T2-SPAIR images, and iso- to mildly hypointense on T1-weighted images. No contrast enhancement was observed. The best anatomical landmarks for nerve identification included the iliopsoas muscle for the femoral nerve and the greater sciatic notch for the sciatic nerve. The T1-weighted sequence was the most useful for visualizing normal nerves due to the contrast provided by perineural fat.
Limitations
The study was limited to a single breed with similar body sizes, potentially affecting generalizability to other breeds. Histopathologic confirmation of normal nerve structure was not performed due to ethical considerations. Additionally, MRI evaluation was static and did not assess dynamic changes in nerve positioning.
Conclusions
This study provides a reference for normal femoral and sciatic nerve anatomy using 3T MRI, with T1-weighted imaging being most effective for nerve visualization. The findings may assist in diagnosing peripheral neuropathies and refining MRI protocols for canine patients.
(A) Level of the coxofemoral joint. The sciatic nerve (arrowhead) is crossing abaxially, medial to the greater trochanter of the femur.The saphenous branch of the femoral nerve can be seen with its corresponding vessels in the femoral triangle (all together = arrow), bordered bythe pectineus muscle (Pec) and the caudal aspect of the sartorius muscle (Sar Cd). (B) At the level of the midthigh, the saphenous branch continuesmedially and superficially (arrow). The sciatic nerve (arrowhead) runs on its own, surrounded by fat and flanked by the labeled musculature (Sem-ten, Musculus semitendinosus; Sem-mem, Musculus semimembranosus; Sar Cd, Musculus Sartorius caudalis). (C) Level of the stifle: the sciaticnerve splits into the common peroneal branch (lateral arrowhead), which is bordered laterally by the biceps femoris. The thicker tibial branch(medial arrowhead) is coursing medial in between the heads of the gastrocnemius muscle (GN). The saphenous branch of the femoral nerve (arrow)continues distally and is flanked caudally by the gracilis muscle
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