Definition

Noun: A disorder affecting only a single peripheral nerve. It is a type of neuropathy characterized by damage or dysfunction isolated to one nerve trunk, often resulting in weakness, numbness, or pain in the area supplied by that specific nerve.

Usage and Examples

• Noun:
  • The patient's foot drop was diagnosed as a mononeuropathy of the peroneal nerve.
  • Carpal tunnel syndrome is a common mononeuropathy affecting the median nerve in the wrist.
  • Diabetic mononeuropathy can cause sudden pain or weakness in a specific area, like the thigh or eye.

Advanced Usage

• Medical Context: The term is primarily used in clinical neurology to distinguish a single-nerve condition from polyneuropathy (affecting multiple nerves) or plexopathy (affecting a nerve plexus).
  • Electromyography confirmed the diagnosis of an idiopathic mononeuropathy.

Variants and Related Words

• Neuropathy (n): A general term for damage or disease affecting nerves.
• Polyneuropathy (n): A disorder affecting multiple peripheral nerves simultaneously.
• Mononeuritis (n): A synonym often used interchangeably with mononeuropathy, though it may imply an inflammatory cause.

Synonyms

• Focal neuropathy: A synonym emphasizing the localized nature of the nerve damage.
• Isolated neuropathy: A descriptive synonym highlighting that the condition is confined to one nerve.

Related Phrases and Terms

• Compressive mononeuropathy: A mononeuropathy caused by pressure on a nerve, such as from a tumor or prolonged awkward positioning.
  • Saturday night palsy is a compressive mononeuropathy of the radial nerve.
• Diabetic mononeuropathy: A mononeuropathy occurring as a complication of diabetes mellitus.

Noun

1. any neuropathy of a single nerve trunk