Sonographic evaluation of the vagus nerves: Protocol, reference values, and side-to-side differences.

Area of Science:

• Neurology
• Medical Imaging
• Anatomy

Background:

• Sonographic reference values for vagus nerves (VNs) exhibit significant variability.
• Establishing reliable reference values is crucial for accurate clinical assessment.

Purpose of the Study:

• To generate robust sonographic reference values for the vagus nerves in a large cohort.
• To evaluate the agreement of vagus nerve measurements across different sonographers and ultrasound systems.

Main Methods:

• Ultrasound examinations of vagus nerves (VNs) were performed on 60 healthy subjects.
• Cross-sectional areas (CSAs) of VNs were measured at proximal and distal levels.
• Two sonographers and two ultrasound systems were utilized to assess interrater and system agreement.

Main Results:

• Mean right VN CSA was significantly larger than the left at both proximal and distal measurement levels.
• Vagus nerve (VN) CSA demonstrated a decrease with increasing age.
• Good intrarater, interrater, and across-ultrasound system agreement was observed.

Conclusions:

• The study provides side- and age-specific sonographic reference values for the vagus nerve (VN).
• These reference values may enhance the accuracy of future diagnostic and research applications involving the vagus nerve.