Ni Xue-Jun, Wang Xiao-Dong, Zhao Ya-Hong, Qiu Jia-Ying, Chen Ying, Wang Yi, Chang Jing-Jian
Department of Medical Ultrasound, Affiliated Hospital to Nantong University
Department of Ultrasound, Shanghai Huashan Hospital, Fudan University, Shanghai
Ultrasound Q. 2019 Jun;35(2):120-124. doi: 10.1097/RUQ.0000000000000370.
This study aimed to visualize sciatic nerve injury in rats using ultrasound imaging in a crushed injury model.
Adult male Sprague-Dawley rats were subjected to a left sciatic nerve crush operation. Then, high-frequency ultrasound was used to image both sciatic nerves at 2 days and at 1, 2, 3, 4, and 6 weeks after surgery.
Normal uninjured nerves have uniform thickness, display a smooth epineurium and inner adventitia, and are oblong in transverse sections. After the crush operation, nerve thickness increased, the inner echo signal decreased, the image of the epineurium became obscured and coarse before becoming smooth again, and transverse sections of the nerve fibers changed from being semicircular to oval in shape before becoming elliptical again. These observations were consistent with pathological changes associated with nerve injury.
High-frequency ultrasound is capable of capturing dynamic changes in rat sciatic nerves in a crushed injury model. This can be used as an auxiliary method of evaluation in traditional peripheral nerve injury experiments.
本研究旨在利用超声成像技术在大鼠坐骨神经挤压伤模型中观察坐骨神经损伤情况。
成年雄性Sprague-Dawley大鼠接受左侧坐骨神经挤压手术。然后，在术后2天以及术后1、2、3、4和6周，使用高频超声对双侧坐骨神经进行成像。
正常未损伤的神经厚度均匀，神经外膜和内膜光滑，横切面呈椭圆形。挤压手术后，神经厚度增加，内部回声信号减弱，神经外膜图像在再次变光滑之前变得模糊且粗糙，神经纤维横切面从半圆形变为椭圆形，之后又变回椭圆形。这些观察结果与神经损伤相关的病理变化一致。
高频超声能够捕捉大鼠坐骨神经挤压伤模型中的动态变化。这可作为传统周围神经损伤实验中的一种辅助评估方法。
