High resolution ultrasound should be the imaging test of choice when evaluating patients with foot drop (an inability or difficulty in moving the ankle and toes causing uncontrolled slapping of the foot while taking a step), according to a study to be presented at the ARRS 2010 Annual Meeting in San Diego, CA. Ultrasound imaging is non-invasive and involves exposing part of the body to high-frequency ultrasound waves to produce pictures of inside the body.
Foot drop is usually caused by peroneal neuropathy which is the most common compression neuropathy (damage to a single nerve or nerve group) of the lower extremity. "Electromyography (EMG) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) are commonly used to evaluate the peroneal nerve in patients with foot drop, however, they are not always effective,' said Tom Grant, DO, lead author of the study.
The study, performed at the Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University, in Chicago, IL, included 15 patients with foot drop who were evaluated using high resolution ultrasound. "Ultrasound was found to be highly effective for the characterization of the common peroneal nerve, including intrinsic and extrinsic causes of peroneal neuropathy," said Grant. All patients evaluated were found to have peroneal neuropathy.
"Ultrasound is less expensive than EMG and MRI, it is painless, and as our study suggests, is highly effective for the evaluation of patients with foot drop," he said.
"Ultrasound should be considered as a first test in the evaluation of patients with foot drop. If the ultrasound is normal, then EMG and MRI should be performed," said Grant.
This study will be presented on Thursday, May 6, at 4:10 p.m. Pacific Time. For a copy of the abstract or to schedule an interview with Dr. Grant, please contact Heather Curry via E-MAIL at hcurry@acr-arrs.org.
About ARRS
The American Roentgen Ray Society (ARRS) was founded in 1900 and is the oldest radiology society in the United States. Its monthly journal, the American Journal of Roentgenology, began publication in 1906. Radiologists from all over the world attend the ARRS annual meeting to participate in instructional courses, scientific paper presentations and scientific and commercial exhibits related to the field of radiology. The Society is named after the first Nobel Laureate in Physics, Wilhelm Röentgen, who discovered the x-ray in 1895.