Sonographic evaluation of peripheral nerve injuries following the Wenchuan earthquake

Abstract

To analyze retrospectively the sonographic characteristics of the peripheral nerve injuries (PNIs) resulted from Wunchuan earthquake. The sonographic images of 38 patients with surgically proved PNIs were reviewed and compared with the surgical findings. A total of 78 nerves in 38 patients were found injured in surgery, which included 16 median nerves in the forearm (20.5%), 6 ulnar nerves in the forearm or arm (7.7%), 8 radial nerves in upper limb (10.0%), 8 sciatic nerves (10.3%) in gluteal region, 17 tibial nerves in the leg (21.8%), and 23 peroneal nerves (29.5%). The most common injured nerve in the lower extremity was the peroneal nerve (29.5%) and in upper extremity was the median nerve (20.5%). Sonography correctly diagnosed 72 earthquake-related nerve injuries (92.3%), which included 5 complete disruption (6.4%), 4 partial disruption (5.1%), 63 nerve entrapment (88.5%, included 1 entrapment by bone calus, 38 entrapments by the scar tissue, 13 entrapments by the thickened muscle or tendinous arch, and 11 entrapment in the narrowed osteofibrous tunnels). Nerve entrapment injury was the common sonographic finding in earthquake-related PNI.