Reliability of side-to-side ultrasound cross-sectional area measurements of lower extremity nerves in healthy subjects.
BACKGROUND
In peripheral nerve ultrasound, the healthy contralateral side may be used as internal control. Therefore, inherent side-to-side differences must be minimal. The goal of this study was to assess intrastudy, intraobserver, and interobserver reproducibility of ultrasound in comparative side-to-side evaluation of lower limb nerves.


METHODS
Lower limb nerves of 60 normal subjects were evaluated by 3 radiologists. Bilateral sciatic, tibial, common fibular, sural, lateral femoral cutaneous, femoral, obturator, and saphenous nerves were evaluated.


RESULTS
Overall, side-to-side differences were not statistically significant at any level. In the lower limb nerves, in a between-limb comparison, the minimum detectable difference of cross-sectional area ranged from 16.4 mm(2) (sciatic nerve at the level of piriformis muscle) to 0.4 mm(2) (saphenous nerve).


CONCLUSIONS
In general, the healthy contralateral side can be used as an internal control.
Department of Human Anatomy, DIMES, Universit` di Genova, Largo Rosanna Benzi 8, 16138 Genoa, Italy. albertotagliafico@gmail.com
Alberto
A
Tagliafico
Angela
A
Cadoni
Erica
E
Fisci
Bianca
B
Bignotti
Luca
L
Padua
Carlo
C
Martinoli
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007866:Leg / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000294:innervation*; D008160:Lumbosacral Plexus / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D014463:Ultrasonography; D055815:Young Adult