Department of Radiology, Northwestern University, Chicago, IL, USA.
Faculty of Medicine, Lebanese University, Beirut, Lebanon.
Br J Radiol. 2023 Jan 1;96(1141):20220336. doi: 10.1259/bjr.20220336. Epub 2022 Sep 12.
High resolution ultrasound (US) and magnetic resonance (MR) neurography are both imaging modalities that are commonly used for assessing peripheral nerves including the sural nerve (SN). The SN is a cutaneous sensory nerve which innervates the lateral ankle and foot to the base of the fifth metatarsal. It is formed by contributing nerves from the tibial and common peroneal nerves with six patterns and multiple subtypes described in literature. In addition to the SN being a cutaneous sensory nerve, the superficial location enables the nerve to be easily biopsied and harvested for a nerve graft, as well as increasing the susceptibility to traumatic injury. As with any peripheral nerves, pathologies such as peripheral nerve sheath tumors and neuropathies can also affect the SN. By utilizing a high frequency probe in US and high-resolution MR neurography, the SN can be easily identified even with the multiple variations given the standard distal course. US and MRI are also useful in determining pathology of the SN given the specific image findings that are seen with peripheral nerves. In this review, we evaluate the normal imaging anatomy of the SN and discuss common pathologies identified on imaging.
高分辨率超声(US)和磁共振(MR)神经成像都是常用于评估外周神经的成像方式,包括腓肠神经(SN)。SN 是一种皮肤感觉神经,支配外踝和足部至第五跖骨基部。它由来自胫神经和腓总神经的贡献神经组成,文献中描述了六种模式和多种亚型。除了 SN 是一种皮肤感觉神经外,其浅层位置还使得神经易于进行活检和神经移植物采集,并且增加了易受创伤性损伤的风险。与任何外周神经一样,周围神经鞘瘤和神经病变等病变也会影响 SN。通过在 US 和高分辨率 MR 神经成像中使用高频探头,即使在标准的远端走行中存在多种变异,也可以轻松识别 SN。US 和 MRI 在外周神经中看到的特定图像发现的基础上,也可用于确定 SN 的病变。在这篇综述中,我们评估了 SN 的正常影像学解剖结构,并讨论了影像学上常见的病变。