ASSESSING THE RELIABILITY OF ULTRASOUND IMAGING TO EXAMINE PERIPHERAL NERVE EXCURSION: A SYSTEMATIC LITERATURE REVIEW

Ultrasound imaging (USI) is gaining popularity as a tool for assessing nerve excursion and is becoming an important tool for the assessment and management of entrapment neuropathies. This systematic review aimed to identify current methods and report on the reliability of using USI to examine nerve excursion and identify the level of evidence supporting the reliability of this technique. Asystematic search of five electronic databases identified studies assessing the reliability of using USI to examine nerve excursion. Two independent reviewers critically appraised and assessed the methodological quality of the identified articles. Eighteen studies met the eligibility criteria. The majority of studies were of moderate or high methodological quality. The overall analysis indicated a strong level of evidence of moderate to high reliability of using USI to assess nerve excursion. Further reliability studies with consistency of reporting are required to further strengthen the level of evidence. (C) 2018 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Inc. on behalf ofWorld Federation for Ultrasound in Medicine & Biology.