Ultrasound in diagnosis of retroperitoneal femoral nerve injury: a case report

Nerve Ultrasound in Traumatic and Iatrogenic Peripheral Nerve Injury

Peripheral nerve injury is a potentially debilitating disorder that occurs in an estimated 2–3% of all patients with major trauma, in a similar percentage of medical procedures. The workup of these injuries has traditionally been clinical, combined with electrodiagnostic testing. However, this has limitations, especially in the acute phase of the trauma or lack of any recovery, when it is very important to determine nerve continuity and perform surgical exploration and repair in the case of the complete transection or intraneural fibrosis. Ultrasound can help in those situations. It is a versatile imaging technique with a high sensitivity of 93% for detecting focal nerve lesions. Ultrasound can assess the structural integrity of the nerve, neuroma formation and other surrounding abnormalities of bone or foreign bodies impeding the nerve. In addition, this can help to prevent iatrogenic nerve injury by marking the nerve before the procedure. This narrative review gives an overview of why and how nerve ultrasound can play a role in the detection, management and prevention of peripheral nerve injury.

High resolution ultrasound in the evaluation and management of traumatic peripheral nerve injuries: review of the literature

High-resolution ultrasound has been used as an important tool in the diagnosis, management and monitoring of both acute and chronic peripheral nerve injuries. According to literature, it demonstrated high sensitivity and specificity for the detection of specific pathologies and its ability to differentiate between them. Literature has been reviewed, summarizing the specific finding of such modality in various peripheral neuropathies and with a specific focus over its role in evaluation and management of traumatic peripheral neuropathies.