The sciatic nerve (SN) is the biggest nerve in the human body and innervates a large skin surface of the lower limb and several muscles of the thigh, leg, and foot. It originates from the ventral rami of spinal nerves L4 through S3 and contains fibers from both the posterior and anterior divisions of the lumbosacral plexus. After leaving the neural foramina, the nerve roots merge with each other forming a single peripheral nerve that travels within the pelvis and thigh. Non-discogenic pathologies of the SN are largely underdiagnosed entities due to nonspecific clinical tests and poorly described imaging findings. Likewise, to the best of our knowledge, a step-by-step ultrasound protocol to assess the SN is lacking in the pertinent literature. In this sense, the aim of the present manuscript is to describe the normal sono-anatomy of the SN from the greater sciatic foramen to the proximal thigh proposing a standardized and simple sonographic protocol. Then, based on the clinical experience of the authors, a few tips and tricks have been reported to avoid misinterpretation of confounding sonographic findings. Last but not least, we report some common pathological conditions encountered in daily practice with the main purpose of making physicians more confident regarding the sonographic "navigation" of a complex anatomical site and optimizing the diagnosis and management of non-discogenic neuropathies of the SN.
- MeSH
- lidé MeSH
- nemoci periferního nervového systému * MeSH
- nervus ischiadicus * diagnostické zobrazování anatomie a histologie MeSH
- ultrasonografie MeSH
- Check Tag
- lidé MeSH
- Publikační typ
- časopisecké články MeSH
Axilla is a pyramidal-in-shape "virtual cavity" housing multiple anatomical structures and connecting the upper limb with the trunk. To the best of our knowledge, in the pertinent literature, a detailed sonographic protocol to comprehensively assess the axillary region in daily practice is lacking. In this sense, the authors have briefly described the anatomical architecture of the axilla-also using cadaveric specimens-to propose a layer-by-layer sonographic approach to this challenging district. The most common sonographic pathological findings-for each and every anatomical compartment of the axilla-have been accurately reported and compared with the corresponding histopathological features. This ultrasound approach could be considered a ready-to-use educational guidance for the assessment of the axillary region. CRITICAL RELEVANCE STATEMENT: Axilla is a pyramidal-in-shape "virtual cavity" housing multiple anatomical structures and connecting the upper limb with the trunk. The aim of this review article was to describe the anatomical architecture of the axilla, also using cadaveric specimens, in order to propose a layer-by-layer sonographic approach to this challenging district.
- Publikační typ
- časopisecké články MeSH
- přehledy MeSH
Ultrasound imaging is widely used to evaluate the neuromusculoskeletal system, and recently, a particular interest is mounting in assessing the bone tissue and fractures. Ultrasound can be considered a valuable diagnostic tool to perform a first-line evaluation of bone tissue, especially in particular settings without direct access to X-ray imaging and/or in emergency conditions. Moreover, different healing phases of bone fractures can be accurately assessed by combining the B-mode modality and (high-sensitive) color/power Doppler optimizing the management of patients-e.g., planning of progressive loads and rehabilitation procedures. In this review, we summarized the role of ultrasound imaging in the management of bone fractures and described the most common sonographic signs encountered in the daily practice by assessing different types of bone fractures and the progressive phases of the healing process.
- Publikační typ
- časopisecké články MeSH
- přehledy MeSH
