Related Experiment Video
Updated: May 25, 2026
Optic Nerve Sheath Point of Care Ultrasound: Image Acquisition
Published on: August 18, 2023
Sonographic assessment of suture artifact obscuring visualization of the digital nerve
Mauricio de la Lama1, James M Kessler, Hilary R Umans
1Department of Radiology, Albert Einstein College of Medicine/Jacobi Medical Center, 1400 Pelham Parkway South, Bronx, New York 10461, USA. mdelalam@gmail.com
Introduction:
The purpose of this study was to grade the severity of sonographic artifact produced by four suture materials and to determine whether these artifacts affect visualization of a digital nerve.
Methods:
A needle was placed into a pig foot to mimic a normal volar digital nerve. Incisions superficial to the needle were closed with different suture types, specifically nylon (N), chromic (C), vicryl (V), and prolene (P). Sonographic images were obtained using a high-frequency transducer. Twenty radiology residents and attending physicians graded the severity of artifact and nerve obscuration. Two image types were shown: one suture type per image and a composite image of each suture type, adjacent to one another.
Results:
Severity of nerve obscuration was as follows: composite image: P = N = V > C; individual images: P > N > V > C. Severity of artifact was: composite image: V = N > P > C; individual image: P > N > V > C.
Conclusion:
Although all sutures produced artifact, only C produced mild artifact, which did not significantly obscure visualization of the nerve model.
