The Role of Ultrasound in Pre-Operative Assessment of Nerve Pathologies; Correlation with Intra-Operative Findings

Abstract Background: Peripheral nerves are the seat of different types of pathologies that might be attributed to trauma, inflam-mation, tumors which can be benign or malignant, vascular malformations of the accompanying vessels. Aim of Study: The aim of this research was to investigate the significance of the US in the diagnosis of various nerve dis-eases in patients scheduled to undergo surgical management of their nerve conditions. And to correlate the ultrasound details with the intra-operative findings. Patients and Methods: All patients were submitted to a comprehensive history and clinical examination, and a total of 27 different nerve diseases were considered for inclusion in our final study. All US exams were done with the patients either seated or lying supine (or occasionally lateral decubitus) to access the target nerve. We looked for evidence of nerve con-tinuity, possible cause of entrapment, presence or absence of fibrosis, distortion, or neuroma formation. Results: Ultrasonography greatly helped the surgeon plan his incision and intraoperative management which significantly reduced the operation time and effort. Conclusions: Ultrasound is sensitive tool in assessing the variable nerve pathologies and in aiding their surgical manage-ment if done routinely preoperatively.