MODERN POSSIBILITIES OF ULTRASOUND SCAN IN DIAGNOSIS OF MORTON'S NEUROMA

Abstract

About 60% of healthy people at least once in their lives complained of pain in the anterior foot that was diagnosed as Morton's neuroma. According to numerous resources, ultrasound scan is one of the leading methods for diagnosing the condition of the soft tissues in the foot, thus, this diagnostic technique can be considerably helpful in determining the nature and extent of the pathological condition and making the decision about the necessity of surgical treatment. Aim: to assess the potential of ultrasound investigation and to systematize the ultrasound criteria for Morton's neuroma using a two-dimensional mode, colour and energy mapping, and functional ultrasonography. Material and methods. We analyzed the findings obtained by the ultrasound scan of soft tissues in the foot of 26 people who complained of pain in the projection of 3-4 metatarsophalangeal joints. The following echographic data were evaluated: homogeneity, echogenicity, integrity of the soft tissues of the intermetatarsal spaces and tendons of the fingers, the presence of effusion in the articular capsules and tendon sheaths, the number of vascular signals in the affected area during power Doppler mapping. Results and discussion. In the control group of patients, the analysis of ultrasound has revealed the following echographic features: the contour of the cortical layer of the metatarsal bones is represented by a hyperechoic line with a clear acoustic shadow along it in all cases (100%); flexor tendons of the toes are located above the surfaces of the bones (100%); no masses are found in the intermetatarsal spaces in 100% of cases; the width of the intermetatarsal spaces is 5.0–9.0 mm in all cases (100%). In the main group of patients, the analysis of ultrasound findings has revealed the following structural changes: the contour of the cortical layer of the metatarsal bones is represented by a hyperechoic circular line with a clear acoustic shadow along it in 8 cases (30.7%); in 18 cases (69.3%) the contour of the cortical layer is uneven with a fuzzy acoustic shadow; flexor tendons of the toes are of reduced echogenicity and have heterogeneous structure in 16 cases (61.5%); space-occupying formations have been found in the intermetatarsal spaces of the III-IV toes in 24 cases (92.3%), and in the intermetatarsal spaces of the II-III toes and in 2 cases (7.7%); the width of the intermetatarsal spaces at the location of the mass formation in all cases (100%) is 10.0-15.0 mm. Conclusion. At the present, the access to ultrasound, its non-invasiveness, the absence of ionizing radiation, the possibility of dynamic observation, and relatively high accuracy in assessing the tibial nerve put it at the forefront in the diagnostic algorithm for detecting Morton's neuroma.