Ultrasound examination of peripheral nerve injuries in patients with limb injuries in the early post-traumatic or postoperative periods

Abstract

Introduction. In the early hours and days after traumatic or surgical event it is essential to determine type of peripheral nerve injury accurately.Objective. To assess performance of diagnostic ultrasound (US) in patients with traumatic and intraoperative nerve injuries during the early hours and days after trauma or surgery.Materials and methods. 106 patients with clinical signs of extremity nerve injuries were included into the study. A total of 113 limb nerves were investigated with US.Results. US sensitivity in the detection of complete nerve rupture was 100% (95% CI: 39,8-100%), specificity — 99,0% (94,7100,0%); for nerve compression with the bone sensitivity was 100% (66,4-100%), specificity — 100% (96,3-100%); for nerve compression with fixation devices sensitivity was 100% (66,4-100%), specificity — 100% (15,8-100%) и 100% (88,4-100%).Conclusion. Nerve US is a reliable method for the evaluation of extremity nerve injury, the method can be recommended for use in the early hours and days after trauma or surgery.