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Shearwave Elastography in the Differentiation of Carpal Tunnel Syndrome Severity
Author(s) -
Wee Tze Chao,
Simon Neil G.
Publication year - 2020
Publication title -
pmandr
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.617
H-Index - 66
eISSN - 1934-1563
pISSN - 1934-1482
DOI - 10.1002/pmrj.12334
Subject(s) - carpal tunnel syndrome , medicine , carpal tunnel , median nerve , ultrasound , elastography , ultrasound elastography , forearm , outpatient clinic , radiology , surgery
Background There is emerging evidence that ultrasound elastography may provide additional diagnostic information in peripheral neuropathies. Objective To investigate the use of ultrasound elastography to evaluate median nerve stiffness in patients with carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS), as well as the relationship between the elastographic stiffness and electrophysiological severity. Design Case control study. Setting Tertiary hospital outpatient neurophysiology clinic. Participants Twenty eight patients (47 wrists) with CTS and 25 control patients (25 wrists). Interventions None. Main Outcome Meaures Ultrasound parameters (median nerve cross‐sectional area [CSA] at carpal tunnel, ratio of median nerve CSA at carpal tunnel and forearm), shearwave elastography parameter (median nerve stiffness), and electrophysiological severity of carpal tunnel syndrome. Results In patients with CTS, median nerve stiffness by ultrasound elastography was increased between the different severity groups (control 83.5 ± 24.8, EDx negative CTS 84.2 ± 46.4, mild 117.7 ± 79.3, moderate 144.0 ± 71.1, severe 196.6 ± 48.4). The control versus moderate and severe subgroup was statistically significant. Conclusions In total, this study has demonstrated that ultrasound elastography was able to discriminate the severity of CTS whereas conventional ultrasound parameters did not.