Intraneural vascularity of the median, ulnar and common peroneal nerve: Microvascular ultrasound and pathophysiological implications

Objectives

Changes in the microvascular environment are considered crucial in the pathogenesis of compression neuropathies. Several studies have demonstrated elevated intraneural vascularity in severe neuropathy compared with healthy subjects, where intraneural vascularity is considered predominantly undetectable. The aim of this study was to assess and quantify intraneural vasculature by superb microvascular imaging (SMI) in healthy volunteers in the median, ulnar and common peroneal nerve.

Methods

Intraneural vascularity was quantified in 26 healthy volunteers (312 segments overall) by SMI sonography using a 22-MHz linear transducer. Individual nerve segment vascularity was compared with the mean vascularity using one-way ANOVA and Kruskal–Wallis tests, respectively. Vendor-provided quantification and manual vessel count were compared by linear regression analysis.

Results

Intraneural vascularity was detectable in all nerve segments (100.0%). Vessel density was highest in the median nerve at the wrist (1.54 ± 0.44/mm², P < 0.0001) and lowest in the sulcal ulnar nerve (0.90 ± 0.34/mm², P < 0.0001). Vendor-provided automated quantification severely overestimated vascular content compared with manual quantification.

Conclusion

Superb microvascular imaging can facilitate the visualisation of nerve vascularity and even detect local variations in vessel density. The pathophysiological implications for peripheral neuropathies, especially compression neuropathies, warrant further investigation, but the absence of visible intraneural vasculature as a negative finding in the diagnostic of compression neuropathies should be interpreted with caution, as the intraneural vascularity may lie beyond the 18 MHz resolution power of a transducer.