Lateral Cutaneous Nerve of Forearm: A Rare Cutaneous Nerve to Develop Abscess in a Relapsed Case of Leprosy

Leprosy is a disease of the skin and nerves; and the involvement of both peripheral and cutaneous nerves is often found in leprosy. Despite adequate treatment with Multi Drug Therapy, Mycobacterium leprae may survive and cause relapse, which is characterized by a combination of new signs or symptoms and presence of acid-fast bacilli on skin or nerve biopsy samples. Nerve abscess is an unusual presentation of leprosy relapse, and has been reported most commonly in ulnar nerve followed by median nerve and common peroneal nerve and rarely in cutaneous nerves or nerves supplying a patch of leprosy. We report a rare case of nerve abscess in lateral cutaneous nerve of forearm in relation to a leprosy patch, in a relapsed case of Borderline tuberculoid leprosy.