Nerve Echogenicity: Changes in High-Resolution Nerve Ultrasound in Carpal Tunnel Syndrome after Surgery

Holzapfel, Klaus; Ghosh, Tanupriya; Krischak, Stefan; Naumann, Markus

doi:10.1016/j.ultrasmedbio.2021.10.005

Cited by 2 publications

(1 citation statement)

References 16 publications

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“…High-resolution ultrasonography is a rapidly evolving field, offering valuable clinical insights not only into nerve size and morphology [ 8 ], longitudinal excursion [ 9 , 10 ] and echogenicity [ 11 ] but also into the localization of nerve damage and associated pathological processes [ 12 , 13 ]. However, B-mode ultrasonography does not have the sensitivity required to detect all forms of peripheral nerve disorders and fails to provide information about nerve mechanical properties such as stiffness [ 7 ].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Using ultrasound shear wave elastography to characterize peripheral nerve mechanics: a systematic review on the normative reference values in healthy individuals

Neto,

Johannsson,

Andrade

2024

Ultrasonography

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Ultrasound shear wave elastography (SWE) is an emerging non-invasive imaging technique for peripheral nerve evaluation. Shear wave velocity (SWV), a surrogate measure of stiffness, holds promise as a biomarker for various peripheral nerve disorders. However, to maximize its clinical and biomechanical value, it is important to fully understand the factors that influence nerve SWV measurements. This systematic review aimed to identify the normal range of SWV for healthy sciatic and tibial nerves and to reveal the factors potentially affecting nerve SWV. An electronic search yielded 17 studies eligible for inclusion, involving 548 healthy individuals (age range, 17 to 72 years). Despite very good reliability metrics, the reported SWV values differed considerably across studies for the sciatic (1.9-9.9 m/s) and tibial (2.3-9.1 m/s) nerves. Factors such as measurement proximity to joint regions, limb postures inducing nerve axial stretching, and transducer alignment with nerve fiber orientation were associated with increased SWV. These findings suggest regional-specific nerve mechanical properties, non-linear elastic behaviour, and marked mechanical anisotropy. The impact of age and sex remains unclear and warrants further investigation. These results emphasize the importance of considering these factors when assessing and interpreting nerve SWE. While increased SWV has been linked to pathological changes affecting nerve tissue mechanics, the significant variability observed in healthy nerves highlights the need for standardized SWE assessment protocols. Developing guidelines for enhanced clinical utility and achieving a comprehensive understanding of the factors that influence nerve SWE assessments are critical in advancing the field.

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