Shear wave elastography of the tibial nerve in healthy subjects

• Published in: Medicine (Baltimore) Vol. 100; no. 3; p. e23999
• Main Authors: Bedewi, Mohamed A., Elsifey, Ayman A., Alfaifi, Tariq, Kotb, Mamdouh A., Abdelgawad, Mohamed S., Bediwy, Abdelmohsen Mohamed, Swify, Sherine Mohamed, Awad, Ezzat M.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States Lippincott Williams & Wilkins 22.01.2021
• Subjects: Adult; Elastic Modulus - physiology; Elasticity Imaging Techniques - methods; Elasticity Imaging Techniques - statistics & numerical data; Female; Healthy Volunteers; Humans; Male; Middle Aged; Observational Study; Reference Values; Tibial Nerve - diagnostic imaging; Tibial Nerve - physiology; Ultrasonography - methods; Ultrasonography - statistics & numerical data; Young Adult
• ISSN: 0025-7974; 1536-5964; 1536-5964
• DOI: 10.1097/MD.0000000000023999

The purpose of this study is to investigate sonoelastographic features of the tibial nerve.The study included 72 tibial nerves in 36 healthy subjects. High resolution ultrasound and Shear wave elastography were used to evaluate the tibial nerve. Cross sectional area and stiffness were measured.The mean cross sectional area of the tibial nerve was 13.4 mm2. The mean shear elastic modulus of the tibial nerve in the short axis was 23.3 kPa. The mean shear elastic modulus of the tibial nerve in long axis was 26.1 kPa. The tibial nerve elastic modulus also showed no correlation with cross sectional area neither in the long axis nor short axis. Age, height, weight, and body mass index showed no correlation with tibial nerve elastic modulus in short or long axes.The elastic modulus of the tibial nerve has been determined in healthy subjects and can serve as a reference for future assessment of polyneuropathy.