The role of ultrasonography in diagnosis of neuralgic amyotrophy.

Objective: To investigate the value of high frequency ultrasound in diagnosis of neuralgic amyotrophy.
Materials and Methods: From January 2010 to December 2020, the ultrasonographic images of 117 patients with neuralgic amyotrophy diagnosed by the Department of Neurology and hand & foot surgery of Shandong Provincial Hospital Affiliated to Shandong First Medical University were retrospectively analyzed. The ultrasonographic features were summarized.
Results: High frequency ultrasound could clearly show the degree of the affected nerves: No ultrasonic findings were found in 12 cases (10%). The affected nerves were thickening and hypoechogenicity with loss of normal fascicular definition in 28 cases (24%). The affected nerves showed hourglass-like changes, including constriction and torsion in 77 cases (66%). In addition, ultrasound can determine the extent of the lesion, and microvascular imaging can display small blood flow signal within the nerve. There was a significant statistical difference between the diameter of the thickened nerve fascicle and the diameter of the nerve fascicle at the corresponding site of the contralateral normal limb.
Conclusions: High frequency ultrasound is a valuable imaging method for diagnosis of neuralgic amyotrophy.
(© 2022. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to International Skeletal Society (ISS).)