Sciatic injection injuries in adults: is dipyrone a foe to nerve?

Sciatic nerve injury is an iatrogenic and rare complication of intragluteal injections. There are a few reports on the subject in adults. Data were collected for eight years from patients referred to our electroneuromyography laboratory. Twenty-eight adult patients (20 males and 8 females) diagnosed with post-injection injuries were identified by history, clinical and electrophysiological findings. A complete history was available in 26, all reporting sudden pain and subsequent radiation of pain and numbness in the distribution of the sciatic nerve. In 17 of the 28 the common peroneal portion was affected more severely than the posterior tibial portion; in seven the opposite. Twenty-three patients were able to name the injected drug, and dipyrone (metamizole) specifically, as the responsible agent in 11 of them (47,8%). Injection neuropathy is not specific to children only alone and according to our data special attention is needed during intragluteal injections for thin men and/or usage of dipyrone.