Posttraumatic Active Intraneural Pseudoaneurysm: A Fast, Exact, and Decisive Diagnosis

Introduction

Traumatic peripheral nerve lesions have an incidence of around 5 %. In cases of minor injury, the prognosis is usually good with complete conservative nerve recovery, while major penetrating high-grade nerve lesions have a very low chance of spontaneous healing (Chhabra et al. 2014, Indian J Radiol Imaging 24: 217–224). Thus, timely diagnosis and accurate management are essential to avoid irreversible consequences. In addition to clinical and electrophysiological investigations, high-resolution ultrasound (HRUS) is a reliable diagnostic tool and first-line imaging modality for the assessment of peripheral nerves. Direct visualization of an impaired nerve is often decisive for choosing an appropriate therapeutic strategy and is also important, for example, for surgical planning (Padua et al. Clin Neurophysiol 2013; 124: 1237–1243). In addition to the assessment of the damage site(s), nerve (dis)continuity or epineural damage or even other underlying causes such as foreign bodies, osseous fragments, hematomas, etc. are identified.

Publication History

Article published online:
28 May 2021