Ultrasound examination of peripheral nerve injuries in patients with limb injuries in the early post-traumatic or postoperative periods

Introduction . In the early hours and days after traumatic or surgical event it is essential to determine type of peripheral nerve injury accurately. Objective . To assess performance of diagnostic ultrasound (US) in patients with traumatic and intraoperative nerve injuries during the early hours and days after trauma or surgery. Materials and methods . 106 patients with clinical signs of extremity nerve injuries were included into the study. A total of 113 limb nerves were investigated with US. Results . US sensitivity in the detection of complete nerve rupture was 100% (95% CI: 39,8-100%), specificity — 99,0% (94,7100,0%); for nerve compression with the bone sensitivity was 100% (66,4-100%), specificity — 100% (96,3-100%); for nerve compression with fixation devices sensitivity was 100% (66,4-100%), specificity — 100% (15,8-100%) и 100% (88,4-100%). Conclusion . Nerve US is a reliable method for the evaluation of extremity nerve injury, the method can be recommended for use in the early hours and days after trauma or surgery.