Ultrasonography of Peripheral Nerves

Abstract

Over the last decade, neuromuscular ultrasound has emerged as a useful tool for the diagnosis of peripheral nerve disorders. This article reviews sonographic findings of normal nerves including key quantitative ultrasound measurements that are helpful in the evaluation of focal and possibly generalized peripheral neuropathies. It also discusses several recent papers outlining the evidence base for the use of this technology, as well as new findings in compressive, traumatic, and generalized neuropathies. Ultrasound is well suited for use in electrodiagnostic laboratories where physicians, experienced in both the clinical evaluation of patients and the application of hands-on technology, can integrate findings from the patient’s history, physical examination, electrophysiological studies, and imaging for diagnosis and management.

Sonography in carpal tunnel syndrome with normal nerve conduction studies

“…Another weakness is that we could not follow our patients longitudinally and assess the implications of the findings regarding treatment. The choice of abnormality parameters may be disputed in favor of relative indices or individually corrected cut‐off values, but we decided to rely on the minimal existing consensus and accept CSA at the carpal tunnel inlet as a principal diagnostic index . We included the FRT, as some earlier studies indicated that this parameter may be abnormal independently from CSA .…”

Sonographic evaluation of cervical nerve roots in ALS and its clinical subtypes

“…In that case, preclinical detection of motor axon loss is possible by either physiologically (e.g., needle electromyography) or by imaging studies. Among noninvasive imaging studies, sonography has been reported to be useful in detecting morphological abnormalities, such as abnormal thinning/swelling as well as fascicular involvement in various neuromuscular diseases (13).…”

Compression of the Median Nerve by a Lipoma in the Distal Forearm Associated with Bilateral Carpal Tunnel Syndromes

“…Ultrasound provides a view of the anatomy of nerve as well as of surrounding structures and allows real-time and painless assessment of median nerve entrapment. Typical findings associated with nerve compression include enlargement of the nerve proximal to the site of compression, decreased echogenicity, and increased vascularity [10]. Moreover ultrasound enables precise differentiation of the space occupying lesions causing median nerve compression [11].…”