Correlative MR-anatomic study of the median nerve.
OBJECTIVE
The purpose of our study was to evaluate the effectiveness of MR imaging for showing the intrinsic anatomy of a peripheral nerve. Cadaver wrist specimens that included the median nerve were imaged with MR imaging at 3 T, then sectioned, stained, and inspected grossly and microscopically. The size, shape, and signal intensity of the sheath and axonal structures in the median nerve were identified in MR images by comparison with anatomic sections.


CONCLUSIONS
This study suggests that MR imaging with sufficiently high-resolution techniques shows the internal structure of peripheral nerves. These results suggest that MR imaging may be a means to distinguish neuritis, tumor, degeneration, or fatty proliferation in a peripheral nerve and to evaluate the nerve before microsurgical anastomosis.
Department of Radiology, Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee 53226, USA.
K
K
Ikeda
V M
VM
Haughton
K C
KC
Ho
B H
BH
Nowicki
D000273:Adipose Tissue / Q000473:pathology; D000714:Anastomosis, Surgical; D001369:Axons / Q000648:ultrastructure; D002102:Cadaver; D004396:Coloring Agents; D016616:Cryoultramicrotomy; D006801:Humans; D007089:Image Enhancement; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008475:Median Nerve / Q000033:anatomy & histology* / Q000648:ultrastructure; D008853:Microscopy; D008866:Microsurgery; D009186:Myelin Sheath / Q000648:ultrastructure; D009410:Nerve Degeneration; D009441:Neurilemma / Q000648:ultrastructure; D009443:Neuritis / Q000175:diagnosis; D010523:Peripheral Nervous System Diseases / Q000175:diagnosis; D010524:Peripheral Nervous System Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis
D004396:Coloring Agents