Injury to the Left Sciatic and Right Common Peroneal Nerves Combined With Multifocal Rhabdomyolysis in a Survivor of the Itaewon Crowd Crush: A Case Report

We report the case of a 27-year-old survivor of the Halloween crowd crush in Itaewon, Seoul, Korea who was diagnosed with left sciatic neuropathy and right common peroneal neuropathy accompanied by multifocal rhabdomyolysis. The patient presented to the emergency room complaining of pain from her lower back to her whole lower extremities with paraparesis and paresthesia. Her blood test showed the marked elevation of creatine kinase and liver enzymes. Magnetic resonance imaging revealed multifocal signal changes in the abdominalis and pelvic girdle muscles suggestive of rhabdomyolysis. Magnetic resonance neurography demonstrated injury to the left sciatic and right peroneal nerves. Electrophysiologic studies also revealed lesions in the left sciatic and right peroneal nerves. After comprehensive rehabilitation and conservative treatment for three months, her muscle strength improved, and she could walk independently. Although several previous studies have reported peripheral neuropathy in immobilized patients, to the best of our knowledge, no case associated with a crowd crush has been reported. Therefore, we report the case of multifocal neuropathy combined with rhabdomyolysis in a victim of a crowd crush incident with good recovery.