About Curtis J. Edwards, MD, FACS Expertise Semi-retired, general and vascular surgery questions, veins arteries and questions related to the thorax. Seventeen years practice experience. I ran the non-invasive vascular lab at a major teaching hospital prior to attending medical school. While in private practice treated diseases of the peripheral veins and arteries including venous injection and ablation procedures, and arterial bypass grafting, and endarterectomy.
Experience Seventeen years private practice, general, peripheral vascular, non-cardiac thoracic surgery (semi-retired). Aviation medicine.
Organizations College of Surgeons, AMA, Aerospace Medical Assoc.
Education/Credentials BA,MD, American Board of Surgery, Fellow American College of Surgeons, Senior FAA Aerospace Medical Examiner
Expert: Curtis J. Edwards, MD, FACS Date: 2/24/2008 Subject: sensitivity in leg after femoral artery bypass
Question My fiance had Femoropopliteal Bypass almost 4 weeks ago. He has been having issues with the leg, from the knee down with sensitivity to the skin, bone, where he can't even touch it.
He went to his follow-up appointment last Wednesday and the surgeon who performed the surgery said that sometime the nerves endings are trying to "reconnect" and that they are very careful when cutting to miss cutting nerves, but sometimes it does happen.
He wants to send him to a pain specialist. What can they do for him, and can you give us any insite on why this is occurring?
Answer I have not examined you or the patient in question, reviewed the medical record, associated laboratory studies, or imaging. What follows is offered to you for information purposes, only and does not constitute treatment. I advise an examination from a qualified healthcare professional before undertaking any course of treatment.
The condition you describe may fall in the area of causalgia or paresthesia. The nerves in the affected leg, some being pain receptors, have been traumatized and are responding the only way the nerves can by sending a signal. Unfortunately, peripheral nerves just like those in the brain learn and continue to send a signal even though the usual threshold for pain has not been reached. They are hyper-excitable. A pain specialist works with this type of chronic pain and may offer suggestions to help.
