Utility of maximum perfusion intensity as an ultrasonographic marker of intraneural blood flow
Adeniyi A. Borire MBBS
Prince of Wales Clinical School, University of New South Wales, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
Search for more papers by this authorLeo H. Visser MD, PhD
St. Elisabeth Ziekenhuis, Tilburg, The Netherlands
Search for more papers by this authorLuca Padua MD, PhD
Department of Geriatrics, Neurosciences, and Orthopedics, Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, Rome, Italy
Don Gnocchi Foundation, Milan, Italy
Search for more papers by this authorJames G. Colebatch DSc
Prince of Wales Clinical School, University of New South Wales, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
Institute of Neurological Sciences, Prince of Wales Hospital, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
Search for more papers by this authorWilliam Huynh MBBS, PhD
Institute of Neurological Sciences, Prince of Wales Hospital, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
Brain and Mind Centre, University of Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
Search for more papers by this authorNeil G. Simon MBBS, PhD
Brain and Mind Centre, University of Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
St. Vincent's Clinical School, University of New South Wales, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
Search for more papers by this authorMatthew C. Kiernan DSc
Brain and Mind Centre, University of Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
Search for more papers by this authorCorresponding Author
Arun V. Krishnan MBBS, PhD
Prince of Wales Clinical School, University of New South Wales, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
Institute of Neurological Sciences, Prince of Wales Hospital, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
Correspondence to: A. Krishnan; e-mail: [email protected]Search for more papers by this authorAdeniyi A. Borire MBBS
Prince of Wales Clinical School, University of New South Wales, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
Search for more papers by this authorLeo H. Visser MD, PhD
St. Elisabeth Ziekenhuis, Tilburg, The Netherlands
Search for more papers by this authorLuca Padua MD, PhD
Department of Geriatrics, Neurosciences, and Orthopedics, Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, Rome, Italy
Don Gnocchi Foundation, Milan, Italy
Search for more papers by this authorJames G. Colebatch DSc
Prince of Wales Clinical School, University of New South Wales, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
Institute of Neurological Sciences, Prince of Wales Hospital, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
Search for more papers by this authorWilliam Huynh MBBS, PhD
Institute of Neurological Sciences, Prince of Wales Hospital, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
Brain and Mind Centre, University of Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
Search for more papers by this authorNeil G. Simon MBBS, PhD
Brain and Mind Centre, University of Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
St. Vincent's Clinical School, University of New South Wales, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
Search for more papers by this authorMatthew C. Kiernan DSc
Brain and Mind Centre, University of Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
Search for more papers by this authorCorresponding Author
Arun V. Krishnan MBBS, PhD
Prince of Wales Clinical School, University of New South Wales, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
Institute of Neurological Sciences, Prince of Wales Hospital, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
Correspondence to: A. Krishnan; e-mail: [email protected]Search for more papers by this authorABSTRACT
We quantified intraneural blood flow (INBF) using perfusion measurement software (PixelFlux), and compared it with the qualitative method of counting blood vessels (vessel score) in a cohort of carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS) patients. Methods: Forty-seven patients (67 wrists) with a clinical and electrophysiological diagnosis of CTS, and 20 healthy controls (40 wrists) were enrolled. Median nerve ultrasound (US) was performed at the carpal tunnel inlet to measure the cross-sectional area (CSA) and vessel score. Power Doppler sonograms from nerves with detectable INBF were processed with PixelFlux to obtain the maximum perfusion intensity (MPI). Results: Forty-nine percent of CTS patients had detectable INBF compared with none in the control group (P < 0.0001). MPI correlated significantly with vessel score (r = 0.945, P < 0.0001), CSA (r = 0.613, P < 0.0001), and electrophysiological severity (r = 0.440, P < 0.0001). MPI had higher intra- or interobserver reliability compared with vessel score (0.95 vs. 0.47). Conclusion: MPI is a better method for quantification of INBF. Muscle Nerve, 2016 Muscle Nerve 55: 77–83, 2017
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