"Small but mighty" - A radiologists' primer for ultrasound imaging of the smaller peripheral nerves

Aakanksha Agarwal; Abhishek Chandra; Kapil Shirodkar; Ankit Shah; Timothy E Murray; Karthikeyan P Iyengar; Mahesh Prakash; Rajesh Botchu

doi:10.1007/s00256-024-04844-8

"Small but mighty" - A radiologists' primer for ultrasound imaging of the smaller peripheral nerves

Skeletal Radiol. 2024 Dec 3. doi: 10.1007/s00256-024-04844-8. Online ahead of print.

Authors

Aakanksha Agarwal¹, Abhishek Chandra², Kapil Shirodkar³, Ankit Shah⁴, Timothy E Murray^{5

6}, Karthikeyan P Iyengar⁷, Mahesh Prakash⁸, Rajesh Botchu⁹

Affiliations

¹ Department of Radiodiagnosis, Mahatma Gandhi University of Science and Technology, Jaipur, India. [email protected].
² Department of Orthopaedics, Mahatma Gandhi University of Science and Technology, Jaipur, India.
³ Royal Lancaster Infirmary, UHMB NHS Foundation Trust, Lancaster, LA14RP, UK.
⁴ Eclat Imaging Center, Mumbai, India.
⁵ Department of Radiology, St. Paul's Hospital, Vancouver, Canada.
⁶ Department of Radiology, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada.
⁷ Department of Orthopaedics, Southport and Ormskrik Hospital West Lancashire Hospital NHS Trust, Southport, UK.
⁸ Department of Radiodiagnosis, PGIMER, Sector-12, Chandigarh, 160012, India.
⁹ Royal Orthopedic Hospital, Birmingham, UK.

PMID: 39623128
DOI: 10.1007/s00256-024-04844-8

Abstract

Peripheral nerve imaging is a powerful tool in evaluating peripheral neuropathy. This review aims to provide an overview of the anatomy, clinical significance and pathologies of small peripheral nerves, typically less than 2 mm in diameter. High frequency ultrasound probes offer the best assessment of these nerves whilst permitting real-time clinical correlation, while the role of MRI is inherently limited by spatial resolution constraints and the lack of patient contact. This review discusses techniques for sonographic identification, strategies for optimal visualization and common ultrasound-guided procedures.

Keywords: Nerve entrapment; Nerve injury; Small peripheral nerves; Superficial nerves; Ultrasound neurography.

Publication types

Review