Ultrasound Appearance of In Vitro Nerve Allografts and Conduits for Peripheral Nerve Reconstruction

Ultrasound enables the accurate assessment of traumatic disorders of small peripheral nerves of extremities. Human nerve allografts and nerve conduits are increasingly used for the surgical treatment of nerve trauma but ultrasound reports on this field are scarce in the radiological literature. We present the macroscopic and in vitro ultrasound appearance of human allografts, and synthetic and biological conduits. In addition, we describe the ultrasound findings in some patients operated upon using the same devices. The in vitro ultrasound appearance correlated well with the macroscopic appearance of the devices. Awareness of their appearance in vitro can help sonologists when examining postsurgical patients.