High-resolution nerve ultrasound (also known as neurosonography or nerve sonography) is a diagnostic method that makes it possible to visualize nerve damages. Compared to an MRI examination, nerve ultrasound enables a higher resolution and also allows to visualize damages to small nerves.
Ultrasound imaging allows physicians to directly view nerve damage. Different diseases affect nerves in characteristic ways, some of which can be seen with ultrasound. Ultrasound is well suited for detecting nerve entrapments, such as carpal tunnel syndrome.
Nerve damage can usually be diagnosed based on a neurological examination and can be correlated by MRI scan findings. The MRI scan images are obtained with a magnetic field and radio waves. No harmful ionizing radiation is used.
An EMG test helps find out if muscles are responding the right way to nerve signals. Nerve conduction studies help diagnose nerve damage or disease.
Ultrasound scanning of peripheral nerves can detect minimal changes in nerve size and echotexture. It is useful for diagnosis of entrapment neuropathy, traumatic injury, and tumors and inflammation of the peripheral nerves8).
An MRI, or magnetic resonance imaging, uses a powerful magnet to pass radio waves through the body. Protons in the body react to the energy and create highly detailed pictures of the body's structures, including soft tissues, nerves and blood vessels.
The signs of nerve damage
Numbness or tingling in the hands and feet. Feeling like you're wearing a tight glove or sock. Muscle weakness, especially in your arms or legs. Regularly dropping objects that you're holding.
When to see a doctor. If you experience weakness, tingling, numbness or a total loss of feeling in a limb, see your health care provider to determine the cause. It's important to treat peripheral nerve injuries early.
Nerve pain often feels like a shooting, stabbing or burning sensation. Sometimes it can feel as sharp and sudden as an electric shock. You may be very sensitive to touch or cold. You may also experience pain as a result of touch that would not normally be painful, such as something lightly brushing your skin.
CT or MRI scans can look for herniated disks, pinched nerves, also called compressed nerves, growths or other problems affecting the blood vessels and bones. Nerve function tests. Electromyography (EMG) measures and records electrical activity in your muscles to find nerve damage.
Imaging can identify peripheral nerve tumors, traumatic neuromas, lacerations, entrapments with nerve damage, inflammation, demyelinating features, and infections.
Your surgeon can remove the damaged section and reconnect healthy nerve ends (nerve repair) or implant a piece of nerve from another part of your body (nerve graft).
Ultrasound cannot tell whether a tumor is cancer. Its use is also limited in some parts of the body because the sound waves can't go through air (such as in the lungs) or through bone.
An ultrasound can produce live images of soft tissues, which is very useful in detecting issues with muscles, tendons, ligaments, and other connective tissue. Tears, abnormal growths and movements, tumors, and calcifications can be seen in an ultrasound. However, bone and air do not show up so well.
A variety of blood tests may be performed to determine the cause of nerve damage. These tests may look for high blood glucose levels, diabetes onset, vitamin deficiencies, etc.
Recovery is a slow process, and the biggest thing you can do to regain nerve sensation and function is to move consistently. You may experience tingling feelings and possibly sensations similar to electrical shock, which is a good sign of having new sensitive nerves.
Seruya wants his patients to know that after a period of 12-18 months nerve damage can become permanent.
One of the most common causes of neuropathy is diabetes. People with peripheral neuropathy usually describe the pain as stabbing, burning or tingling. Sometimes symptoms get better, especially if caused by a condition that can be treated. Medicines can reduce the pain of peripheral neuropathy.
Symptoms depend on which nerve is damaged, and whether the damage affects one nerve, several nerves, or the whole body. Tingling or burning in the arms and legs may be an early sign of nerve damage. These feelings often start in your toes and feet. You may have deep pain.
Nerve damage can become permanent
At first, neuropathy may cause occasional numbness and pain, but as it progresses, your symptoms may become more persistent. The pain may reach a high point before reaching a state of constant numbness. Once your nerves become too damaged, they can't send signals to your brain.
Ultrasound can provide localizing information in mononeuropathies or provide greater insight into the nature of an abnormality causing a known focal neuropathy like carpal tunnel syndrome, ulnar neuropathy at the wrist or elbow or peroneal neuropathy.
Answer: Damaged nerves cannot be seen on a regular X-ray. They can be seen on CAT scan or MRI, and in fact, MRI is recommended for examining details of the spinal cord. For example, MRI can demonstrate tumors of the spinal cord and nerves that extend from the spinal cord called nerve roots.
We use ultrasound to evaluate patients' cerebrovascular reserve—typically during a stress test of the brain arteries —so we can make sure there is normal capacity to increase flow of blood to the brain when under stress. If you cannot increase blood flow during a stress test, your brain is at risk for stroke.