Ultrasound of the sural nerve: Normal anatomy on cadaveric dissection and case series

Abstract The sural nerve is a small sensory nerve innervating the lateral aspect of the ankle and foot. Clinical symptoms of pathology may present as atypical sensory changes in this region. We present the normal anatomy and ultrasound technique for examination of the sural nerve based on an anatomi...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:European journal of radiology 2013-11, Vol.82 (11), p.1953-1958
Main Authors: Belsack, Dries, Jager, Tjeerd, Scafoglieri, Aldo, Vanderdood, Kurt, Van Hedent, Eddy, Vanhoenacker, Filip, Marcelis, Stefaan, De Maeseneer, Michel
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adult
Aged
Cadaver
Diagnosis, Differential
Dissection
Female
Humans
Lyme disease
Male
Middle Aged
Nerve pathology
Netherlands
Peripheral Nerve Injuries - diagnostic imaging
Peripheral Nervous System Diseases - diagnostic imaging
Radiology
Sural nerve
Sural Nerve - diagnostic imaging
Sural Nerve - injuries
Ultrasonography - methods
Ultrasound
Venous stripping
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Summary:Abstract The sural nerve is a small sensory nerve innervating the lateral aspect of the ankle and foot. Clinical symptoms of pathology may present as atypical sensory changes in this region. We present the normal anatomy and ultrasound technique for examination of the sural nerve based on an anatomical dissection, as well as imaging in a normal volunteer. We also present a case series ( n = 10) of different conditions of the sural nerve that we encountered based on a review of interesting cases from 4 institutions. The pathological conditions included neuropathy related to stripping or venous laser surgery, compression by abscess, Lyme disease, nerve tumors, traumatic transsection, and encasement by fibrous plaque and edema. Ultrasound with its exquisite resolution is the preferred imaging method for examining the sural nerve in patients with unexplained sensory changes at the lateral aspect of the ankle and foot.
ISSN:0720-048X
1872-7727
DOI:10.1016/j.ejrad.2013.05.014