Ultrasound scanning of a peripheral nerve along its expected course is a simple and useful method for determining the cause of peripheral neuropathy. We present 3 cases of peripheral neuropathy in which the pathology was detected by simple ultrasound scanning of the affected nerve. There were 2 cases of entrapment neuropathy due to mucoid cyst and 1 case of nerve sheath tumor. All lesions were visualized by simple ultrasound scanning of the involved peripheral nerve. Our results suggest that if a lesion affecting the peripheral nerve is suspected after history and physical examination or electrophysiologic studies, ultrasound scanning of the peripheral nerve of interest throughout its course is very helpful for identifying the causative lesion.

Fascioliasis is a rare zoonotic disease caused by Fasciola hepatica, the liver fluke. Humans can become accidental hosts of this parasite by ingesting contaminated drinking water or plants containing viable metacercariae. There are two disease stages: the hepatic (acute) and biliary (chronic) stages. The biliary stage of this zoonotic infection is often misdiagnosed because the symptoms are subclinical, with intermittent cholangitis as the only sign. Endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP) has been described in the diagnosis of a few cases of fascioliasis. We used this modality to diagnose biliary fascioliasis in a 39-year-old woman with chronic hepatitis B who had intermittent abdominal pain for three years with irregular wall thickening and luminal narrowing of the common hepatic duct (CHD), which resembled neoplasia of the CHD. Following the correct diagnosis, the adult worm was removed using endoluminal forceps via endoscopic sphincterotomy. This case report confirms the diagnostic and therapeutic value of ERCP in patients with biliary fascioliasis that may mimic neoplasia of the CHD.

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