Sonography of Median Nerve in CMT

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FYI - AJR Am J Roentgenol 2002 Jun;178(6):1553-6

Sonography of the median nerve in Charcot-Marie-Tooth

disease.

oli C, Schenone A, Bianchi S, Mandich P,

Caponetto C, Abbruzzese M, Derchi LE.

Cattedra di Radiologia " R, " DICMI, Universita di

Genova, Largo

nna Benzi, 8, I-16132, Genova, Italy.

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of our study was to describe the features on

high-frequency sonography of median nerves in patients with

Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease and determine whether sonography can help

in the detection and characterization of the disease in these patients.

SUBJECTS AND METHODS: The median nerves of 24 patients with

genetically proven Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease (12 patients with

Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease type 1A, seven with Charcot-Marie-Tooth

disease type 2, and five with Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease type X) were

prospectively examined at the right mid forearm with a 12-5-MHz

transducer. Image analysis for each patient included measurement of both

the cross-sectional area and fascicular diameter of the nerve.

Correlations

then were made with genetic and electrophysiologic features and with

findings in a control group of 50 subjects.

RESULTS: Sonography was found to be a reliable means of detecting the

nerve hypertrophy and the fascicular swelling occurring in patients

with Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease. The 1A type of Charcot-Marie-Tooth

disease could be

distinguished sonographically by a larger nerve area and fascicular

diameter than those observed in patients with the other types of disease

(including Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease type 2 and X-linked type) and

the control subjects.

In patients with Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease and

control subjects, linear regression analysis did not show a correlation

between either the cross-sectional area or fascicular diameter of the

nerve and the patient's height, body mass, sex, or electrophysiologic

parameters.

CONCLUSION: High-resolution sonography can be used to

detect the hypertrophy of median nerves in patients with

Charcot-Marie-Tooth type 1A on the basis of the larger nerve sizes and

fascicular diameters than those occurring in patients with other types

of

the disease. In an affected kindred, sonography is promising as a

screening tool for identifying individuals who should undergo genetic

assessments.

PMID: 12034637 [PubMed - in process]