Shear wave elastography of ulnar nerve in arm: An observational study for evaluation of performance

Objectives: The performance of shear wave elastography (SWE) for peripheral nerve pathology, predominantly compressive neuropathy, has been studied with the median nerve, sciatic nerve, and tibial nerve. However, studies for ulnar nerve are limited in literature. The aim of the study was to study the performance of SWE for ulnar nerve in arm by analyzing the correlation of elasticity value by two transducers of the same ultrasound system. Material and Methods: This was a prospective observational study. Elasticity of ulnar nerve was measured in the mid-arm and supracondylar region in longitudinal and transverse planes with two different transducers of the same ultrasound system. The reliability of measurement was assessed by interclass correlation of values obtained. Results: Ninety-two ulnar nerve measurement sets were analyzed. The ages of the patients ranged from 14 years to 76 years, with a median age of 50. The SWE values obtained by two probes showed a weak interclass correlation coefficient value <0.5. Conclusion: Quantitative SWE measurements of the ulnar nerve in the arm by two transducers showed a weak interclass correlation. It should be used with caution as a diagnostic tool with a universally acceptable cut off values.