High-Resolution Ultrasonography for Detecting Peripheral Neuropathy in Leprosy: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Area of Science:

• Medical Imaging
• Neurology
• Infectious Diseases

Background:

• Leprosy is a chronic granulomatous disease impacting the peripheral nervous system and causing disability.
• High-resolution ultrasonography (HRUS) offers a noninvasive method for assessing nerve involvement in leprosy.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the diagnostic value of HRUS in assessing peripheral nerve involvement in leprosy.
• To measure the cross-sectional area (CSA) of major nerves in leprosy patients using HRUS.

Main Methods:

• A systematic literature search was performed across major databases (PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, Embase).
• Meta-analyses compared the CSA of ulnar, median, posterior tibial, and common fibular nerves between leprosy patients and healthy controls.
• Quality assessment and heterogeneity analyses were conducted on seventeen included studies.

Main Results:

• Leprosy patients exhibited significantly enlarged CSA in all examined peripheral nerves compared to controls.
• Consistent nerve enlargement was observed in leprosy patients, most notably in the ulnar nerve.

Conclusions:

• HRUS is a valuable and sensitive noninvasive imaging modality for evaluating peripheral nerve involvement in leprosy.
• The findings support the use of HRUS in the clinical assessment of leprosy-related neuropathy.